Force Distortion
by LadyDae
Summary: Toward the end of the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker and company get a visitor from the future in the form of an older version of his former Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. That fact is strange enough, but her arrival sets off a chain of events that change the current trajectory of the future and begin to indicate that she's a lot more than she's telling them. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Yeah... We're not going to talk about where I've been in the last decade. Just know that I'm in law school and well... I still have the same relationship with school now as I did years ago. That said, my load is a lot more demanding than undergrad, but I've had this story in my head, and I've really wanted to write it so I figure I'd share it with you guys as I write it as a way to relieve the stress of law school. Heads up, nothing is as it seems, and the only background you're getting from me is that everything is canon up until Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order in the Clone Wars. Enjoy.

* * *

**1**

It was supposed to be a routine mission. An intelligence report had come in that the separatist had built a mining base on a backwater planet seeking out a new source of rare energy that their scientists hypothesized could be used to power their fleets in a way that was so much more efficient and powerful that they could overcome the Republic fleets. Intelligence also said that it wasn't heavily fortified, probably as to not attract attention. No need for The objective was simple. Destroy the base after collecting whatever information they cold and bring the scientists involved to Coruscant. Get in and out before The Separatists could find out and so they could try to stay one step ahead of them in this war. An easy win. But like everything that had to do with Anakin Skywalker, seldom was anything ever easy.

Based on the objective of the mission, it wasn't one he should have been assigned, but since he and Obi-Wan were closest to the planet and they had just finished a mission, the Order had sent them at the urgent request of the Chancellor.

Since they landed, Anakin had a feeling. Not necessarily bad. Not necessarily good. Just there. And it was unsettling, to say the least.

"The force feels unsettled here," Obi-Wan pointed out as they made their way through the base.

"The Force always feels unsettled as of late," Anakin couldn't help but respond dryly.

Obi-Wan gave him a pointed look before he said, "You know what I mean. It feels unsettled in a different way than normal. It feels—"

"Like a tool that's completely bent out of shape," Anakin suggested, cutting Obi-Wan off.

"Certainly an apt way to describe it."

They fell into silence as the hallway came to an end, opening up to a long pathway perpendicular to the hall that led down a bunch of metal stairs on either end. Over the railing of the pathway, they had a clear view of a big room in the middle of which was a large metal ray gun shooting an electric ray into the wall and illuminating the room with lightning blue light.

The scientists in the room gave the gun and the energy coming from its wide breadth as it continued to penetrate the wall.

"Is just me or does this not look like a quiet mining operation," Anakin asked.

"True. But at least that makes things a lot less complicated," Obi-Wan said.

"Hey, you? What are you doing up there?" said a guard from the shadows below them, and before they could say anything began to shoot up towards them.

As Anakin took out his lightsaber to deflect the bolts and then jumped over the railing to land behind the startled scientists, he shouted, "You just had to jinx it, Master."

Obi-wan ignored him as he landed somewhere in the vicinity near Anakin and deflected bolts on the other end of the room.

Anakin made quick work of the few guards, and while Obi-Wan dealt with the remaining guards, he went to the scientists who were now gathered behind a large motherboard hurriedly pushing buttons that Anakin presumed was the reason for the ray from the gun getting bigger, the static filling the room, and the strange feeling in the Force growing.

Anakin Force pushed most of them out the way except for one who he grabbed by the scruff of his collar and growled, "Turn it off."

Unsurprisingly, that's not what the scientist did. Instead, the scientist typed in a series of codes that made the ray grow bigger yet again, the static in the air turning into full electricity as the Force grew more warped.

"Kriff," Anakin muttered as he threw the scientist to the side, disengaged his lightsaber and put it on his belt again. He'd deal with them later.

He felt the warping in the Force grow as he typed on the motherboard. There had to be some sort of kill switch.

If there was one, he was out of time, though as he felt a warning in the force and the electricity in the air intensify. In a last desperate attempt, he struck his lightsaber onto the motherboard.

A quick warning in the Force made him duck down behind the board as the ray suddenly began to narrow before it exploded in a burst of blue electricity in the air.

Anakin didn't know how to describe what happened in the Force next. The warping got worse. A bunch of warnings and feelings coming together and foreshadowing something that wasn't danger but not necessarily safe either.

And then everything became still. The warping in the Force still present but nowhere near as bad as it had been only moments ago. The electricity in the air fading to only static and then nothing. The dust slowly settling.

"What did you do?" Obi-Wan coughed from the other side of the room.

"I didn't do anything," Anakin responded defensively though he wasn't exactly sure if that was truthful or not. The explosion could have been from something the scientists had already done or from slashing his lightsaber across the motherboard.

"I am seriously getting too old to be getting into trouble like this," a female voice said.

Anakin stood up, lightsaber lit and pointed to the woman, a torgruta, who was coming to her feet not far from the destroyed ray gun.

She didn't react to a lightsaber being pointed in her direction and brushed off her clothing as she looked around the dark room and said quietly, "Vader?"

"Who?" Anakin demanded, and the togruta woman turned to him.

Her eyes narrowed before it seemed like she quickly puzzled something out that made her eyes widen.

"Where am I?" she suddenly asked.

"Who are you?" Anakin asked, walking closer to her with the lightsaber.

"You don't… Of course, you don't," she said dryly with a familiar roll of her eyes that Anakin couldn't quite place.

"Look, you've got five seconds to tell me who you, where you came from, and what that ray was before I—"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said sternly as he crossed the room to where Anakin and the woman were.

Anakin sighed, resorting to using the force to gently probe the woman's presence. But he got nothing. Not only were her shields strong, but her force presence was drastically muted like she was trying to hide herself. So she was Force-sensitive.

"Who are you?" he demanded again.

The togruta female seemed to consider something before opening her mouth to reply. But before sound could leave her, loud sirens went off, and red lights flashed above their head.

Then a voice overhead warned of some kind of meltdown and that the building would self-destruct in five minutes.

Anakin cursed in huttese, and then he looked over at the togruta, surprised that she took had muttered the same expletive simultaneously. She gave him a longsuffering, mirthless smile in response and started running for the stairs with him and Obi-Wan.

It was after they entered the hall that Anakin remembered, "The scientists."

"I'm pretty positive the Republic would rather we come back alive," Obi-Wan said.

"Those weren't scientists," the woman said as she ran next to them, easily keeping up with Anakin and Obi-wan's stride as they used the force to aid them to run.

Before Anakin could ask her what they were, the base shuttered, and he decided they could talk after they'd escaped.

They managed to get out with a minute or so to spare, but there was no telling what the blowback of the blasts would be so they kept running into the brush of the thick forest until all of a sudden the torgruta female grabbed both Anakin and Obi-Wan, pulled them aside behind the breadth of a large tree, and forced them to the ground.

Anakin started to resist the togruta before he felt the warning in the force and covered his head as the lab exploded. While the tree protected them from the brunt of the blowback, Anakin felt the wind woosh around them and rubble fly through the air with it.

"Well that went according to plan," Obi-wan muttered when everything was clear, and they deemed it safe to stand to their feet.

The woman huffed. "According to plan? When there's a Skywalker involved? Never."

Anakin exchanged a glance with Obi-wan before they both turned to the woman who seemed to remember that just because they'd gotten out of the base together didn't mean they had forgotten that they had no clue who she was.

"Don't look at me like that," she said with a longsuffering sigh. "I'm not a threat. You can sense that in the force."

"That still doesn't change the fact that we don't know who you are," Obi-wan pointed out.

"Yet you seem to know us. Doesn't seem fair," Anakin added.

To Anakin's and Obi-wan's surprise, the woman laughed a little and said, "Oh, I've missed this."

Anakin and Obi-wan exchanged a look.

Finally, the woman said, "Look. I could tell you who I am, but you're going to think I'm crazy. And judging by your ages and what's probably going on right now, you're going to think the Separatists did something crazy as a way to trick and kill you."

"Try us," Anakin said.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," the woman replied sardonically, placing a hand on one of her hips and giving Anakin a familiar skeptical look that again he couldn't place. "I think I traveled back in time."

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged another look before Anakin laughed outright at the woman.

"Sure," Anakin replied. "And I'm the Supreme Chancellor."

"Told you, you wouldn't believe me," the woman said with a shrug.

"Let's say we believe you," Obi-wan decided to humor. "For someone who just traveled back in time, you don't seem alarmed. Almost like you've don't it before."

"No. This would be a first for time traveling, but I've seen the Force do a lot of strange things that transcend the realm of logic and belief that sentient beings have come to understand thus far. I've just learned to roll with it," the woman replied. She then gave Anakin a wry look before saying, "You being one of them."

"Just who are you that you seem to think you know me so well?" Anakin demanded.

"Aw. I'm hurt," the woman said in a dramatic mocking tone with a roll of her eyes. She sighed and continued, "I grow up a little in twenty years, and I'm unrecognizable to you. I thought I meant more to you than that, Skyguy."

The nickname was the giveaway, giving way to the realization of why she seemed so familiar to Anakin. Her facial expressions, her demeanor, the way she talked, and, now that he looked closer, the facial markings.

"Ahsoka?" both Anakin and Obi-wan asked.

"Well, look at that. You really do—"

The woman cut herself off as Anakin lit his lightsaber in her direction. She got into a more defensive stance and gestured with her fingers in a movement that Anakin recognized as trying to call a lightsaber to her hand. When nothing came to her hand, she looked down.

"Must have lost that during the time travel," she said with a sigh. "That's going to be a minor inconvenience."

"Anakin, put that down. Let's hear her out."

"Who sent you?" Anakin demanded.

"No one," the woman who claimed to be Ahsoka said quickly as she raised her hands in surrender. "I'm as confused as you are. One moment I was on Malachor, and the temple collapsed, and the next moment, I was here."

"Sure."

"I swear," the woman said quickly.

For the first time, Anakin felt the woman's shields falter as her emotions spiked with apprehension.

"Why should I believe you?"

"I don't know. Ask me anything. Something you only told—" Ahsoka cut herself off. "Wait. No. Bad idea."

"Drop your shielding."

"What?"

"Your shielding. You're muting yourself in the Force. If you are who you claim to be, I'll be able to tell by your Force presence. There's a lot of technology out there to make people look like different people. And a good spy could have found out anything. But they can't mimic a Force presence," Anakin said as he dropped his lightsaber to his side.

The woman put her hands down and looked hesitantly at the ground before muttering, "I don't… I don't know if that's such a good idea."

Anakin began to raise his lightsaber again before the woman groaned and said, "Fine. Force, I forgot how hotheaded you were around this time."

Without warning, the woman's muted presence amplified as she let go of the shielding around her, and Anakin felt the presence that he'd know anywhere.

It was a little different. Stronger, less raw around the edges. But Anakin guessed that happened when she was twenty years older than the Ahsoka he knew. The essence of that presence, though? It was all Ahsoka.

He turned off his lightsaber, staring at Ahsoka in confusion now instead of distrust.

"Ahsoka," he repeated again, this time really believing it.

"I know. Still pretty snippy after twenty years, huh?" she asked.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **This has been a blast to write so far. And I've probably been doing way too much research and spending way too much time on this (so much more since I vomit wrote the first chapter). But I don't care. It's fun. That said, just want to say that I'm making some basic assumptions about the Star Wars Universe based on my research.

1) That considering that bipedal beings that look human are called "humanoid," the terms "man" and "woman" are generic terms used to refer to adult female and male versions of the species. Just saying female or male just rubs me wrong.

2) That the timeline of the Clone Wars is a little effed up, and I'm just going to take some creative liberties about it. I mean, in the Clone Wars movie, Ahsoka seems to be closer to twelve. Maybe thirteen. But in the series, it seems like that aged her up to fourteen or fifteen, and by the time she leaves the order, she's around 17. There's also the fact that according to my research, Anakin is only five standard years older than her, which is confounding because that would put her at fourteen or fifteen in the Clone Wars movie. Though it's obvious someone messed that up, I'm just going to assume that given the many different species, Ahsoka very well could have been 14 or 15 standard years when we first saw her, but togruta aging is different. Yeah... that's probably what it is.

Anyway, thank you for reading. And thank you for your patience Things really pick up in the next chapter, but these calmer chapters are necessary to set up the story. Enjoy!

* * *

**2**

Anakin watched as this future Ahsoka sat in the common area of the ship with her eyes closed, sometimes tilting her head this way and that as in some sort of meditation without really being in a trance.

She hadn't said anything since he and Obi-wan decided the only course of action to take was taking her back to Coruscant and presenting her to the council. She hadn't seemed particularly eager about that but didn't object to it either, agreeing that the Jedi Temple might be the best place to get some guidance and find out if there was any record of anything like this happening before.

"Need something?" Ahsoka asked.

Anakin didn't think she had been aware he was standing there.

"Your presence is hard for me not to notice," Ahsoka said as she opened her eyes.

"How did you know what I was thinking," Anakin asked. He hadn't been thinking that loud. And his shields had been up.

"I know you. I don't need the Force to know what you're thinking. Also, I'm a lot more powerful than I was twenty years ago… presently?" Ahsoka wore a confused look before shrugging.

Anakin hesitated before deciding to join her fully. He sat across from her, and Ahsoka gave him an expectant look when he didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Sorry. This is pretty weird," Anakin said.

"I know," Ahsoka agreed though Anakin thought that she didn't act like it was weird to her.

Since she was so at ease, Anakin decided to start with the obvious.

"So… you're from the future?"

"Pretty certain. You and Obi-wan definitely don't look like this where I come from," she joked.

"Ha, ha."

An awkward silence lapsed between them again as Anakin wondered just how much he could get out of her about the future. Would it be safe to ask her, or would it ruin something? Then again, she probably didn't know the answer to that either.

"So, how are you two planning on explaining this to the Council?" Ahsoka asked.

"I think they might be doing more explaining to us than the other way around."

"Either that or answer in the cryptic wise-sounding way that they do when they really have no clue what's going on," Ahsoka suggested wryly. Then she added, "No offense to Obi-wan. Honestly, we're likely going to have to end up figuring it out ourselves."

"I'd reprimand you about your disrespect of the council, but I suppose I can't, all things considered, what happened between you and them even if I was still your master."

Ahsoka frowned, then finally said with a sigh, "Yes. I suppose not."

"That said, maybe we can get on the path to figuring out what's going on now?" Anakin said. "What do you know? What's been happening on your end?"

"Maybe it would be a better idea for you to tell me what's been happening on your end. You know, since I'm the one from the future, I wouldn't want to cause something to invariably change the course of it."

"Presuming that's how it works, of course," Obi-wan said, joining them.

"I think it's a safer bet than me trying to tell you everything that happens in the future and you trying to meddle if you decide you don't like it. We at least know that much from hundreds of legends in thousands of cultures across the galaxy," Ahsoka pointed out.

Anakin looked at Obi-wan, who shrugged but nodded. It couldn't hurt.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"What year is it? Or maybe more specifically since the Clone War years are a big violent blur for me, what's happened up to this point?"

"Since you left the Jedi Order a few months ago?" Anakin asked and then shrugged. "More fighting. More sieges. Nothing significant. It seems like we take one step forward in this war and go two steps back. The same as always."

Ahsoka's frown deepened as she asked, "How long ago exactly did I leave the order?"

"Seven standard months or so ago. Anything significant happen around then that the Force would send you back?" Anakin asked.

Ahsoka shrugged. "Not that I can remember. Though the Force did feel strange right before I came here. Like it was twisted in some way."

"We felt it too," Obi-wan said. "I'd never quite felt the Force feel that way before.

"Neither have I. And I get the feeling that any information I have won't help us get anywhere even if I was sure it was safe to tell you any of it. Guess we're just going to have to wait until we get to Coruscant to explore this uncharted region in the Force," Ahsoka decided.

The finality in her tone left no room for argument, and without waiting for their agreement, she got up and went to one of the two small rooms at the back of the ship.

"That," Obi-wan began, "is going to take some getting used to."

"My thoughts exactly, Obi-wan," Anakin replied.

* * *

The future Ahsoka didn't come back out the room until Anakin knocked on the door and let her know they were about to drop out of hyperspace and that they had already requested an audience with the Council, who were convening in wait for them upon arrival. Obi-wan had been vague about why they wanted to meet, though he did explicitly say it was about a discovery made on their mission that they needed to bring before the Council in person.

Anakin gave Ahsoka a cloak before they disembarked. Though it was well into the evening, there were still plenty of Jedi milling around the temple, and the presence of an unfamiliar person alone would cause chatter. The last thing they needed was someone possibly recognizing her, though Anakin doubted it. If he hadn't recognized her, no one would.

If she was intimidated by the all the attention on her once she and Anakin were standing before the Council in the center of the room while Obi-Wan took his seat, she didn't show it with her hands calmly at her side as her face stayed hidden in the shadows on her cloak.

It started easily enough with Obi-wan routinely reporting everything that they had witnessed until they got to the part with Ahsoka and her revelation of who she was.

Anakin and Obi-wan had discussed dozens of times on the way how to delicately reveal Ahsoka to them, but neither one of them had been able to think of a way that didn't sound totally ridiculous.

"I'll take it from here," Ahsoka said, lowering her hood and stepping forward some. "To put it bluntly, as of a couple of days ago, I can add time traveler to my list of unique skills."

"Time travel?" Mace Windu said as his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"I'm the Ahsoka Tano of the future."

Silence permeated the Council as they looked at her.

"She's telling the truth. She's Ahsoka," Anakin added.

"And what proof have you, that telling the truth you are," Yoda asked.

Next to him, Anakin felt Ahsoka unmute her presence. When he'd asked about why she constantly did that, she'd said it was a force of habit. He'd wanted to ask her exactly why that was, but he doubted she'd give him an answer.

After a moment, Yoda hummed and said, "The truth, you tell."

"I just don't know how or why?" Ahsoka said. "We were hoping that between us and the collective wisdom of the Council, we could come up with a plan of action to investigate. I get the feeling that whatever happened to bring me here is only the beginning of something much bigger. Perhaps, there's a record of something like this happening before."

Anakin had to resist the urge to snicker at her deference when not too long ago on the ship she had been cynical about any guidance that the council could offer.

Everyone looked to Yoda for answer to that. If there was, it wouldn't have been in any of their lifetimes except for his.

After a few beats, he finally said, "Stories of powerful visions where lived lifetimes, a being has. But your experience, young Tano, only legends, whispers of such a thing there has been."

"Then, with your permission, I could perhaps have access to the archives to do some research into the matter and perhaps that would give all of us more insight," Ahsoka asked.

Anakin felt the tension in the room rise at her bold request.

"Perhaps it would help," Shaak Ti began, "if you would offer some perspective about the events as they happened from your end of this timeline."

Ahsoka didn't immediately reply to that one but didn't falter. Her reactions thus far were a testament to the fact that even though her Force presence told Anakin who she was, she still wasn't _his _Ahsoka. Whatever she experienced had made her grow up. The calm exterior, the exercise of control, the lack of sway the Council's obvious apprehension had on her. She was so different. What turned her into this?

"I don't think that's wise," Ahsoka finally replied.

"You're hiding something," Windu said bluntly.

"That's a given. I have everything to hide. I know things about that, if revealed too soon, could alter the future for the worse. Of course, I'm not being entirely forthcoming," Ahsoka said with a shrug.

"Unrestricted and unsupervised access given the circumstances, we cannot give. But resources and the Jedi, spread thin by the war, they are. A heavy load, the Council, already has," Yoda said.

Ahsoka sighed and rolled her eyes. "Who are you assigning to babysit me?"

Yoda chuckled at her impertinence.

"Since your former padawan, our time traveling guest is, to supervise her, I suggest to the Council, you should, Knight Skywalker."

"What about my assignment in the Outer Rim?" Anakin asked though he was secretly relieved to have the break. It would give him a chance to spend some time with Padmé.

"Return to the Outer Rim, Master Kenobi will, while investigate this you and Miss Tano will. What says the Council?"

The vote was unanimous, at which time, Anakin and Ahsoka were dismissed while the Council stayed back.

After the door closed behind them, Ahsoka sighed and said, "How is it that in some way, shape, or form, I always find myself having to answer to you?"

"You wound me. I'm not so bad," Anakin joked as they walked away.

"No. But just keep in mind that while you've been assigned to me, I'm not _your _padawan anymore," she emphasized.

For a moment, Anakin had forgotten about that because, after the awkward time-traveling conversation, they had fallen back into old patterns. It didn't seem like this new dynamic mattered.

"On another note, though," Ahsoka continued, "Standing before the Council wasn't as terrifying and awful as I remember it being."

"Easy for you to say when you don't answer to them anymore."

"It's an exhilarating feeling."

"For someone who was just complaining that she essentially thought going to the Council was pointless, you put on a good show of desperately wanting their wisdom."

"It wasn't their wisdom I was seeking, and desperately wanting it isn't the right phrase," Ahsoka said. "Their approval of my being here even though the Force has already ordained it, yes. Better to have their slow trust and limited oversight than their quick distrust, which would have had me locked somewhere in holding while waiting on someone else to figure things out."

"That's clever."

"I learned a thing or two about diplomacy in the last twenty years. Particularly from a senator friend of mine."

Speaking of senator friend, as they took the lift down to where Anakin's assigned quarters were, Anakin stayed silent while he tried to figure out a way to essentially ditch Ahsoka without her suspicion. When she was his padawan, it was easy to use Jedi indoctrination about the authority the master had over the padawan to get her to shrug it off even if she questioned him. More than that, should he leave this Ahsoka to her own devices at all? Now that he thought about it, though the Force said she told the truth about who she was, that didn't mean they could necessarily trust her. He was inclined to, but this war had shown him the error in that way of thinking.

None of that answered if and how he was going to slip away from her, though

Once they were safely tucked away in his quarters, Ahsoka turned to him and said, "Okay. I think it's safe for you to ditch me now."

"What are you talking about?"

Ahsoka threw her cloak on the couch and said, "You know. To go see Padmé."

"Why would I go see her?"

"Because you always do when you're Coruscant-side."

"I mean, why would you think I'm going to see her this late in the evening. She's probably had a long day and doesn't want to entertain guests," Anakin said, trying to seem nonchalant.

Ahsoka gave Anakin an unimpressed look, one of the facial markings above her eyes raising as she said, "It's been twenty years, Skyguy. I've learned a lot of things since then. I probably know a lot more about you than you know about yourself at this point."

"Senator Amidala and I are just friends."

"And now you're doing that thing where you try to keep it formal between you two so no one is suspicious when everyone knows that you're friends, and it would be less suspicious to just call her by her name," Ahsoka said. "Anakin, go see your wife. I'm not telling anyone. And I promise not to cause any trouble while you're gone."

Anakin couldn't help feeling stunned now that the secret was out. Then again, it seemed like to her it wasn't a secret.

"You're… okay with that?" he asked. "You're not mad I didn't tell you."

"It's been twenty years. I've known this information for a long time now. If I was angry, and… I don't remember being angry at you for that, it's long gone by now. Besides, anger isn't the way of a Jedi."

"But you're not a Jedi, are you?" Anakin asked. It was supposed to be teasing, but there was something in the Force that told him this was the right question to ask that made it weighty.

"Certainly not in the way the Council would define it. And if they knew all your secrets, they'd likely say the same thing about you."

"Fair enough," Anakin replied. He started to leave but hesitated. "You sure you'll be okay?"

"Fine."

"It's not that I wouldn't like to spend time with you. I really would. I just…"

"Anakin," Ahsoka said with what sounded like a longsuffering sigh as she cut him off. "I'm not the padawan who left and you haven't seen in seven months. She's still somewhere in this galaxy, but it's not me. You don't owe me anything."

Apparently, the fact that she was from the future wasn't something that this Ahsoka was going to ignore or beat around. And she was going to constantly remind him of it. He didn't understand how she was able to disassociate herself like that so easily. Then again, Ahsoka was always better than him with letting things go and not having attachment. Anakin mentally groaned. There he was comparing them again when this Ahsoka was trying to get the point over to him that she was a different person than the one he knew.

Ahsoka put a hand on Anakin's shoulder and suddenly, he was aware of how tall she was now. "Go see your wife," she said with a gentle smile.

Anakin smiled and patted Ahsoka's hand. She let go and headed over to the sofa while Anakin turned to leave, but Ahsoka stopped him once more when she said, "Skyguy."

"Yeah."

"Tell Padmé that I hope her schedule's clear tomorrow evening. After I do some research in the archives, I'd like to visit."

"I'll… let her know," Anakin said hesitantly before leaving, wondering how in Sith hell he was going to explain to Padmé that Ahsoka had visited them from the future.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

Padmé didn't pretend that she understood the Force even a fraction of the way her husband understood it. So when he said and did things under the presumption of the guidance of the Force, she gave him the benefit of the doubt. However, even she was having a hard time accepting her husband's recent revelation about a time-traveling Ahsoka Tano from the future. A time-traveling Ahsoka Tano from the future that knew about their secret marriage. And even though she had unquestioning faith in her husband, she had her doubts until he came back from the Jedi Temple again the evening after the revelation with the togruta woman in tow.

Ahsoka lowered the hood of her cloak and looked around the apartment before muttering, "It's nice to be back here."

Then she looked at Padmé and smiled before closing the distance between them.

"Ahsoka," Padmé said, falling into the comfort of her politician's mask since she wasn't exactly sure how to act. "It's been a while."

Ahsoka shrugged. "Eh. Only twenty years, right?"

They both stared at each other before Ahsoka muttered, "What the heck?" And then she closed the distance between them and grabbed Padmé in a hug.

Padmé had to say that she was a little surprised but returned the hug anyway.

"I've missed you," Ahsoka whispered before she finally pulled away.

Padmé prevented herself from frowning by forcing herself to smile a little as she said, "I'm guessing we don't get a chance to see each other often in the future? Not that we did before."

"I'm pretty busy in the future," the other woman replied as she followed Padmé to the couch. "I'm probably long overdue for a vacation or retreat, but this wasn't what I had in mind. Not to mention, now I have to do research, and he," Ahsoka jerked her head in Anakin's direction as she sat, "has to be with me everywhere I go. Feels like being a padawan all over again."

"Stop being dramatic. It's not that bad," Anakin said.

"You'd be even worse if our positions were switched," Ahsoka quipped back.

"Would not."

"Let's ask Padmé to settle it then."

"I have to get between enough adults acting like children in the Senate. I'm not getting between you two," Padmé said and swiftly changed the subject before either could disagree. "Any ideas about how you were brought here yet?"

"Nothing from our research so far," Ahsoka said. "And we've been in the archives all day."

And while Padmé didn't pretend to know much about the Force, she did know a lot about people, diplomacy, and playing the game of politics. So she didn't miss the way Ahsoka emphasized the fact that her research hadn't revealed anything. That may be true, but that didn't mean that she didn't have any ideas. Which told Padmé that Ahsoka definitely had some idea of what contributed to bringing her here and how it happened.

Padmé also hadn't missed that when she asked Ahsoka about how often they saw each other that the togruta woman hadn't exactly answered her. Her answer about being busy could be taken as an answer, but that didn't speak to if that had anything to do with them not seeing each other.

It was hard to blame her for hiding whatever it was she was hiding. Who knew what would happen to time and the galaxy if she revealed too much? That said, Ahsoka's careful consideration made Padmé feel uneasy.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Padmé suddenly asked. "I was thinking we could order from that Naboo restaurant a little ways from here. I'm craving a taste of home."

"I thought that place didn't deliver," Anakin said.

"It doesn't. I'm out of their delivery range. That's why I'm sending you, Ani," Padmé said with a teasing smile.

Ahsoka snickered while Anakin scowled and said, "Sometimes I wonder if you only married me so you could send me on errands to get food that's too far for delivery when you don't want to go anywhere."

"Part of it," Padmé admitted.

Anakin pretended to be annoyed while Padmé sent him a message through his datapad with what to order for them before sending him on his way.

"Watch," Padme said once he was gone and after sending Threepio to make them some coffee. "Even though he has the order written down, he's still going to get something wrong."

"And he'll be gone for at least an hour, if not more if that restaurant is crowded tonight, which gives you time to interrogate me without him," Ahsoka said with a knowing smile.

"You've gotten good at reading people."

"It was obvious you were trying to get rid of him."

They waited for Threepio to come back with the coffee, and as Padmé prepared her cup with cream and lots of sugar while Ahsoka took hers black, she asked, "Things don't turn out so well in the future. Do they?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"You've been deflecting in your answers. They sound like direct answers, but they're formed to mislead. It's a common tactic of politicians. You're very good at it. If you weren't from the future and this was a battle of wits in a senate session, even I might have been fooled."

"That means a lot coming from you," Ahsoka replied.

It was pretty much an admission.

They were silent until Padmé was finally done fixing her coffee. She deeply inhaled the rich nutty smell before taking a sip. The instant warmth from the heat of the drink made her relaxed and prepared her to ask her next question.

"The Republic loses the war, don't we?"

"Technically, no. Technically, the Separatists lost. But the Republic may as well have been considered to have lost it."

Padmé took another sip of her coffee to calm herself though she couldn't say she was surprised. For all their fighting and keeping up morale and celebrating their most significant victories, it only served as a cover for how badly this war was really going.

"What happens?"

Ahsoka hesitated before answering, "It's… very complicated. I don't know how much I can or should reveal right now."

"Do I survive it?"

"What makes you ask that?"

She was deflecting again. Not even missing a beat in asking it. Nothing was catching her by surprise. That was the reaction of someone who knew a lot more than they wanted to let on. Or the reaction of a veteran politician.

"Be honest with me."

"No. You don't survive the fallout."

Padme didn't really want to know anymore. These revelations were enough. But if she didn't ask, she'd wonder.

"Anakin?" she managed to whisper as tears came to her eyes.

"Barely," Ahsoka muttered, suddenly studying her coffee much more closely.

Padmé took a shaky breath before saying, "So is that the only good thing to come out of all this in the future?"

Ahsoka didn't reply for a long time before saying, "There are some things."

"So all of this. Everything we're fighting for. It's going to be all for nothing?" Padmé asked.

"Not necessarily so." Then suddenly, Ahsoka said, "Padmé."

"Yes."

"I need you to continue to act normally and not be alarmed by what I'm about to tell you. Like we're still talking, and I'm not very aware that someone is watching us though I'm pretty sure they can't hear us."

Padmé nodded slightly as she lifted her coffee to take a casual sip.

"Do you still keep two blasters in your couch?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yes," Padmé replied casually as she set her coffee down on the coffee table.

"Just wait," Ahsoka said calmly with her coffee still in hand. Then suddenly, she said, "Duck."

They both ducked in front of the couch in time to miss a single shot that managed to pierce and shatter the reinforced window. Ahsoka managed to get to her feet and shoot back out the window before Padmé had even managed to grab her own blaster. Before she could get to her feet, Ahsoka was on the floor again and pulling Padmé down with her.

There was a loud explosion, and then smoke filled the room so that Padmé couldn't see what was going on.

"Come on," Ahsoka said, lifting Padmé off the ground and pulling her toward her bedroom. Before they got to it, though, Ahsoka opened the door to the guest fresher and pushed Padmé inside. "Stay in there. Shoot anyone that might manage to get to you that isn't me."

The togruta woman then closed the door and locked it behind her.

Padmé didn't particularly like that she had been manhandled into hiding when she would have preferred to be out there helping Ahsoka if she could. Somehow though, she got the feeling that Ahsoka could make quicker work of the would-be assassin without her.

A long time passed, and Padme couldn't hear much in detail besides the sounds of an obvious struggle. Then, all was quiet.

A few moments later, an obviously concerned Ahsoka opened the door and said, "You can come out now," before walking back out without waiting on Padmé to follow.

* * *

There had been three assailants. Human, dressed in dark stealth jumpsuits with masks that obscured their features. Ahsoka had made quick work of one and seeing how much of a commotion they'd caused and time they'd wasted, the other two retreated. It had been a long few hours of reporting what happened to her security first, Anakin second, and then the authorities who arrived on scene. By the time the latter had arrived, Ahsoka wisely slipped away to one of Padmé's guest rooms, and Anakin was credited with stopping what was apparently an assassination attempt on Padmé's life. Not too out of the ordinary. Padmé was always getting threats on her life, but rarely did people get this close to achieving it.

Once it was just the three of them again, sitting in the cleaned up and at least functional but still destroyed sitting room, Anakin turned to Ahsoka and said, "Start. Talking."

"About what?"

"Don't play games with me," he warned, mechanical hand clenched in a fist.

Anakin was already frustrated, angry, and though he didn't want to admit it, terrified about what happened. And there had been nothing recently or beyond the norm that would have sparked a sudden assassination attempt on Padmé. The only thing different was Ahsoka's arrival. Ahsoka, who, though clearly disturbed, didn't seem overly concerned that their only source of information about all this was dead and wasn't all that concerned about going to find the other two assailants to get information.

So the only conclusion to make was that she knew something about this and that she wasn't as clueless about what was going on as she was leading them to believe.

Ahsoka sighed and muttered, "Force, you're so demanding."

"Ahsoka."

"They weren't after Padmé. I think they were after me."

"Why would they be after you?"

"Because they came through time with me. It wasn't just a freak accident of the Force that brought me here. Someone deliberately found a way through time and space. They meant to come here. I just don't think they meant to bring me here with them. I don't even think they really know I'm here."

"No one was there when we found you," Anakin pointed out.

"That also doesn't answer the question of why they'd be after you," Padmé added.

Ahsoka shot Padmé an annoyed look.

"You have to tell him," Padmé continued. "About what happens in the future."

"What happens in the future?" Anakin asked, looking between Padmé and Ahsoka.

"I didn't even tell you everything, Padmé."

"What did she tell you?" Anakin asked, and when Padmé hesitated, he turned to Ahsoka and demanded, "What did you tell her? Why did you tell her?"

"I didn't have much of a choice. She put some of it together on her own," Ahsoka replied.

"How? You haven't said anything."

"She's been letting you jump to conclusions and make certain assumptions based on your biases and what you think are going to be givens in the future to make you think nothing is more amiss than it already is," Padmé explained. "Deflections. Not quite lying. Just not correcting your perception."

Anakin began to pace as he furrowed his eyebrows, going back over all his interactions with Ahsoka thus far to figure out if she had given away anything in their conversations. But as far as he could tell? Nothing.

"Tell me what you told Padmé."

"The separatists lose the war, but the Republic may as well have too. It was all a trick. A lie where the war was orchestrated and both sides controlled by the Sith master to take over the galaxy and destroy the Jedi in one fell swoop," Ahsoka explained.

Anakin stopped pacing and looked at Ahsoka before saying bluntly, "That's not possible."

"Is it? Ever ask yourself where exactly the clone army came from and who paid for it? You don't find it weird that just when it seems like the Republic is gaining headway, the Separatists armies somehow still manage to stay one step ahead? How every time it looks like there may be a peaceful way to resolve all this, something happens that makes both sides resort to fighting again?" Ahsoka explained. "I didn't see it when in the trenches of it all either, but now with distance and looking back on the big picture, it was strange. Almost like there was some high ranking Republic executive on the inside giving the Separatists intel. Like someone is trying to drag this whole thing out as long as possible until both sides are decimated, and they can swoop in to pick up the pieces."

As much as Anakin wanted to deny it, the Force rang with the truth in her words. This wasn't just speculation. It was fact. And now that she'd started it, Anakin couldn't help but question everything that they'd chalked up to bad luck or the Separatists playing smarter and more strategic. It was too perfect — too much of a coincidence to ignore.

"Why are you telling us all this? So we can change it?" Anakin asked.

"I think my very presence has already changed how things were going to turn out for you."

"If you being here has already changed things, then what about your future?"

"I'm not worried about that. I'm almost positive that my future is perfectly intact." Without waiting for Anakin or Padmé to ask the question, Ahsoka continued, "That's a piece of the rest of this story that I haven't told you yet. I… had an idea after we talked on the ship, but I wanted to get in the archives to do some research and make sure. It didn't have everything to do with researching time travel."

"Just spit it out, Snips," Anakin snapped impatiently. This was overwhelming enough as it was.

Ahsoka glared at him before biting out, "I'm not your Ahsoka."

Anakin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You've already made that clear to me."

"No. I mean that I'm not necessarily the future version of your Ahsoka. I'm an alternate version of her future self from another parallel timeline."

* * *

**AN: **YAY! Two Alternate Universe Stories in one fic!


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

Just when Anakin hadn't thought it couldn't get any stranger than time travel, of all things, Ahsoka had to drop this bombshell on them.

"Alternate timeline?" he asked slowly.

Ahsoka stood from her seat and began to slowly pace back and forth before saying, "I wasn't exactly sure at first, but after gaining access to the archives, I'm sure of it. This past is different from how my past played out. Some are just little things, but there are some big things."

"Like what?"

"The biggest thing so far? I didn't leave the Jedi Order in my timeline. The Duchess of Mandalore? In my timeline, she doesn't die. Obi-wan saves her. Narrowly, but he does. Even down to little things like the restaurant Padmé sent you to, it didn't exist," Ahsoka said, crossing her arms and placing a hand on her chin contemplatively."

"Hold on. You're saying a lot here, but not really explaining anything. What's all this mean and what does it have to do with today?" Anakin asked.

"Because I don't think it's me exactly those assassins were after. I don't even think they know they brought me here. I think they're after my past self and haven't figured out that they didn't exactly go back in time, so they thought they were trying to kill your Ahsoka."

"Ahsoka," Padmé said, laying a hand on Anakin's arm to silence him. "How do you know that, and what would they want to kill you for?"

Ahsoka stopped her pacing to give both of them a direct, piercing stare. Then she sighed and sat down while saying, "Since my very presence here has likely irrevocably changed whatever course the future was headed in, I suppose it couldn't hurt. Fair warning, try to keep an open mind. And though I'm giving you the general picture, I'm leaving a lot of things out."

Anakin and Padmé exchanged a look before taking a seat also.

Ahsoka took a moment to collect herself and then began, "The end of the war was a trying time for the Republic. While we were able to make some headway, our resources were spread thin, the Republic was hemorrhaging money, and, in general, morale was low. Everyone was looking for someone to blame. The Sith master playing both sides of the war at the time managed to sway public opinion enough that it was pinned on the Jedi, and they were charged with treason against the Republic."

"That's ridiculous. The only thing the Jedi have done is help fight this war. Without us, it would have been lost a long time ago," Anakin said indignantly.

"I agree. But you have to understand that's not what it looked like to some people. Especially when you had Dooku, a former Jedi helming the Separatists, and Barriss Offee who bombed the Jedi temple and by her own account was convinced the Order had been corrupted. To say the least, the Jedi weren't without their critics. So by the time they moved to arrest a high ranking executive officer when they found out he was a Sith Lord without the backing of the Senate, the Sith master managed to convince the galaxy that the Jedi had betrayed the Republic and that he was justified in their eradication. He managed to take over the Republic and ordered the clones to kill the Jedi on sight. It was a total ambush. There was no way we could have been prepared for it," Ahsoka explained.

"How did you survive?"

"The Sith master's new apprentice, Darth Vader, was a former Jedi and friend of mine before he turned. We had infrequently… commiserated on our dissatisfaction with the Order after Barriss Offee tried to frame me. He gave managed to lead me into not being at the Jedi Temple at the time of the attack."

Anakin could sense in the force that Ahsoka wasn't being all the way truthful, but she'd already admitted she wasn't going to be. He'd piece together what he could after she gave him the rest of her story.

"I laid low for a few years before me and Vader met again."

"What about me? Where am in all this?" Anakin asked. He couldn't imagine that the Sith Lord and his apprentice would rise to kill the Jedi, and he wouldn't try to stop it.

Ahsoka's gaze flickered to Padmé, whose hands were clenched in her lap.

"What?" Anakin insisted.

"You manage to survive the massacre. Barely," Ahsoka said. "But…"

"Just say it," Padmé whispered.

"My Anakin's not quite the same, at least for a while, after Padmé dies as a result of the fallout of the Sith takeover."

Anakin's stomach suddenly felt like stone, and a tightness filled his chest so thoroughly, he almost thought it might stop his heart. Mechanical hand clenched tightly as he tried to control his fear and anger at just the thought of that happening he said tightly, "Keep going."

"With the Jedi, one of his staunchest opposers, and my master out the way, the Sith maser reorganized the Republic into the Galactic Empire with Darth Vader as his enforcer. But what the Sith master didn't know, or maybe did and just overestimated his control, was that Darth Vader was in as much grief over Padmé's death as my master was. He knew that Darth Vader once had strong feelings for the senator, but he didn't know they had lingered after his turning. Nor that his apprentice harbored resentment toward him for her death," Ahsoka said. "So the next time I met Vader, we, along with Anakin, came up with a plan to take over the Empire to avenge her death and the Jedi massacre. It was the first time my master seemed to come back to himself a little since the end of the war.

"It took years of exposing the fractures in the Empire and Vader gaining the bulk of military's favor while Anakin and I, with some of the help of the loyalists in the senate and the remaining Jedi, gathered and united all the separate factions of rebellion under one alliance, but we managed to do it. We managed to overthrow him without a lot of public outrage, and Vader was able to wrestle control of the Empire. It helped that Anakin still held quite a bit of public sway despite the Sith Master's propaganda machine against the Jedi."

"But in your world, there's still an Empire," Padmé stated.

"Yes," Ahsoka admitted. "Vader was unwilling to give that up but the new Empress, we don't call her that but that's essentially what she is, has a lot of sway over him. If anything, it's an Empire more in name than in spirit. And while the executive branch holds about two-thirds of the power of the government, it's split between the power of the Emperor and the Empress. Vader controls the bulk of the military, but the Empress deals with diplomatic and senate affairs. It's through that delicate balance that, for now, we've been able to come to a compromise of sort between the Empire and the Alliance Republic loyalists. I think both sides have realized that more than anything, people just wanted the fighting to stop and to move on with enjoying their lives. And without the Sith Master pulling the puppet strings of war, we've slowly been able to do that."

"What about the Jedi?" Anakin asked.

"They haven't started rebuilding yet. Their fall has given them a lot to think about. But they have a… tenuous truce with Vader," Ahsoka said, rolling her eyes with a longsuffering sigh. Anakin could only imagine how that was going. The Jedi and the Sith had been in conflict for thousands of years, with dominance swinging back and forth between them. It probably didn't help that the Sith were evil. Though it seemed Vader might be an anomaly with that one.

Ahsoka continued, "It helps that the Empress has a soft spot for them, and Vader's son is close to Obi-wan. Anakin serves with Vader in the military for now while I'm the Empress' personal guard and go everywhere with her on her diplomatic missions."

"I don't understand," Padmé said. "What does all this have to do with why someone is after you and how you got here."

"Vader's former master had a bunch of inquisitors and dark side adepts working to annihilate the remaining Jedi and any powerful Force-sensitive beings who might threaten his rule. When we overthrew him, they banded together to try to take revenge over the years. The good thing is they have no army or resources to make them an actual threat to be worried about on a usual basis. But they've been 'annoyingly persistent' to quote Vader. We intercepted intel that they were working on something big on Malachor and went to investigate. They were using some machine along with a Holocron in the Sith temple to gather energy from the force in a tangible form to do something. I didn't have any idea what until whatever it was caused the temple to collapse and for us to end up here."

Anakin didn't need her to finish as the realization dawned on him.

"And what better way to get revenge and undo Vader's takeover than going back in time and killing the people central to the plot before they're too powerful to stop," he said.

Ahsoka nodded.

What little he and this Ahsoka had found in the archives earlier about time travel said that now the Jedi generally didn't believe it was a possibility and that such an idea was little more than fantasy or powerful force visions at most. Until now, anyway. But back when there had been whispers of it being true thousands of years ago, the Jedi of old believed purposefully trying to intercept time was a dark side technique because it was unnatural to interfere with the natural course of destiny after something had already happened. A dark side force adept or the Sith Master's inquisitors, though? They wouldn't have that reservation.

"Ahsoka's in danger," Padmé stated. "Our Ahsoka. It's only a matter of time before they realize that you're the Ahsoka from their future and go looking for her, regardless of whether or not they know they went to the wrong past."

"If some of them haven't already found her. There was a pretty big group of them gathered when we found them on Malachor, more than the three showed up tonight. They might have just been flung in different parts of the galaxy for all I know how this works," Ahsoka said with a shrug.

"She's safe. For now." Anakin said abruptly. She might not be his padawan anymore, and he might not know where she was, but they still had a bond. Far away though she may be, he could still feel her presence amongst the living, and he'd know if she were in grave danger. It was part of what kept him sane when she left.

"It's not just her though," Ahsoka continued. "Every force user that was involved in the overthrow."

"Then we'll beat them at their own game," Anakin declared standing to his feet. "You know who the Sith master is. And his apprentice. Tell us who they are. We'll find him and kill him and make their mission pointless."

Ahsoka shook her head. "We can't do that."

"And why not?" Anakin demanded.

"One, because Vader hasn't fallen yet. Two, because this is what got the Jedi in trouble when we found out who the Sith Master was before. Sure the Sith Master was orchestrating both sides of the war, and he was evil, but the Jedi had no proof of that. Only their word against a trusted official. He's a lot more powerful than you think."

"We're a lot more powerful together than you're giving us credit for," Anakin shot back, towering over her.

Ahsoka stood to her feet with her hands on her hips and growled, "It took us years in my future to come up with a plan to dismantle the Sith Master's power and overthrow him. It's not as simple as you think. He's got every base covered. A contingency plan for his contingency plans. And even with all our careful planning, we just barely managed to succeed, and there were casualties and sacrifices that years later we're still dealing with the fallout of."

Padmé cleared her throat to get both their attention, and the two turned to look at her.

"Ani, Ahsoka's right. If we were to go in blindly and lose, the fallout might be far worse than even what happened in her future. I'm not saying we would lose, but we have to come up with a solution that takes into account what we would do if things go horribly wrong. However," Padmé continued while raising her hand at Anakin as he opened his mouth to protest, "Anakin's right. We can't do nothing. If what you say is true, there are a lot of people with a target on their back from a threat they know nothing about."

"I'm sorely tempted to take you back with me to my future. We could use your levelheadedness," Ahsoka said with a sigh. Then she looked directly at Anakin and said, "Trust me. It's taking everything in me not to find the Sith Master and kill him right now myself. But all things considered, it's better he stays where he's at. It's going to be a while before he makes his final move, and he needs to secure Vader to his side first. But now that just my being here has changed the course of your future, I'm okay with helping nudge it in the right direction to give you the best chance at victory. My advice to you, Padmé, is to gather your most trusted Senator friends and start following the money trails and the body trails because you don't hide all this without leaving a bunch of people dead. It was no use to us because, by the time the Sith Master was emperor, he was so outright about his evil that everyone was relieved to see him go whether it was through legitimate means or not, but it might help you make a solid case against him and give the Jedi the leverage they need to make a move when the time comes."

Padmé nodded and immediately headed to her office to grab her datapad.

"In the meantime," Anakin said, deciding to let the Sith Lord issue go for now, even if he didn't all the way agree with it, "We need to protect everyone who was involved in the overthrow in your timeline. Who exactly?"

"Obi-wan. Yoda. Bail Organa. Mon Mothma. But it's not them who turn the tide of the fight. The Empress wasn't even a factor until much later, and Vader was integral to the Sith Master's rise to power."

"What about me?"

"The inquisitors aren't dumb enough to challenge you even twenty years in the past. But I figure they think if they can destroy one pivotal part of the plan, it will change the outcome in the future. If your Ahsoka left the Order, that means she has no lightsaber and no backing of the Order. She'll be an easy target."

"We have to find Ahsoka—_my_ Ahsoka," Anakin declared, and Ahsoka nodded in agreement with him for once.

"Hopefully, the fact that they don't know they're in the wrong past and that I came through with them buys us some time." Ahsoka's gaze then turned to where Padmé had disappeared. "I think we should take her with us."

"I thought you said they were after you, not her," Anakin said with narrowed eyes.

"They're not, but…"

And even though he understood Ahsoka's reservations about telling them things and leaving things out for the sake of not creating a worse future than the one she had to live through, Anakin got the distinct feeling that she was keeping something very important away from him. Something that she not only could but _should _reveal.

"I have a hunch about something. I'm not exactly sure yet, but just trust me on this one."

Anakin nodded and then said, "I don't feel comfortable leaving Obi-wan out of the loop on this one. I think he should know what's going on."

"And he can also help us convince the Council to let me leave the planet."

"And if they say no?" Anakin asked with a smirk.

"We do it anyway," Ahsoka said with a grin and then looked toward where Padme had gone. "You do know she's not going to like that we're forcing her off Coruscant when she can be helping with this little investigation I've told her to get on. Right?"

Anakin sighed. He could hear Padmé's arguments now.

* * *

**AN: **I got a lot of response and excitement over the last chapter. I can't wait for the response to a couple of the next chapters. And I can't wait to read your theories on this one.


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

"I don't like this. I don't like any of this _at all_."

Anakin and Ahsoka exchanged a look and then shrugged.

"We figured you wouldn't. But I think even you can see the necessity of what we're going to do," Anakin said.

"Unfortunately, if everything she says is true," Obi-wan said, pointing to Ahsoka, "I do. We need to take some kind of action. I just don't like the idea of the two of you traversing across the galaxy on this mission on your own without me being there to talk you out of doing anything too reckless and stupid."

"I'll have you know that I've been part of my Empress' guard and diplomatic team for years now. I'm not _that_ reckless anymore," Ahsoka said.

Obi-wan pinched the bridge of his nose. "For some reason, you saying that only makes me more concerned."

"Relax. Senator Amidala will be with us," Anakin assured.

"With you two, that doesn't make this situation any better. And I'm still not clear exactly what she has to do with all this anyway."

Frankly, neither did Anakin. If anything, based on what Ahsoka was saying, if Padmé had been part of the catalyst to make Vader turn against his master, the inquisitors had more reason to leave her alive. But Ahsoka was insistent. Not even when Padmé fought her over it tooth and nail did she back down. In the end, Ahsoka had convinced Padmé by telling her that either she came with them or, since "officially" there had been an attempt on her life, stay and end up with extra security that would give her a lot less freedom than she'd have if she went with Anakin and Ahsoka.

And though Anakin didn't understand it either, he wasn't about to argue being that he felt a lot better with Padmé being with them no matter how slim the risk was of the inquisitors going after her. But Obi-wan didn't need to know all that. That would be toeing the line of a secret he'd rather keep for now.

Rather than address the unclarity about what Padmé had to do with anything, Ahsoka said, "So you'll help us find a way to convince the Council?"

"I don't know how cooperative they'll be about the fact that you teamed up with a Sith Lord to defeat a Sith Lord and now help said Sith Lord run an Empire."

"Then we'll leave all that out. Say that the Jedi eventually triumph over the Sith, that I play a huge part in it, and his inquisitors sought to go back in time to change the tides and make it so that the Sith overcome the Jedi. It's the truth from a certain point of view. We'll just let the Council make assumptions to fill in the details," Ahsoka suggested.

Obi-wan raised his eyebrows and said wryly, "Haven't you turned into a savvy politician."

Ahsoka shrugged. "Being around an Empress all day does that to you. Before I knew her as the Empress and right before we defeated the Sith Master, she actually managed to negotiate a deal with the Hutts that helped turn the tide of the war against the Sith Master because it kept them from using a hyperspace lane that would give them easy access to the rebellion army we'd managed to build. Didn't end well for the actual Hutts once all was said and done, though."

Obi-wan sighed. "Fine. But I still feel like it would be better if I went with you."

"No," Ahsoka said, shaking her head. "One of you needs to be in the Outer Rim helping in the sieges. And be able to give a heads up in case the inquisitors decided to go to the Separatists in effort to find the Sith Master. I don't think that's anything we have to worry about yet, but just in case we need your eyes and ears out there."

Obi-wan gave Ahsoka a piercing look before nodding and saying, "Can I have a word with Anakin?"

"So you can discuss how you're not sure you can trust me? Sure," Ahsoka replied bluntly. "I'll be in the Room of a Thousand Fountains if you need me."

When she left, Obi-wan said, "Precisely what she said."

"Obi-wan, it's Ahsoka."

"But not our Ahsoka. There are some glaring omissions from her story that I think go beyond trying not to make our future worse than how hers panned out. Namely, who exactly is Vader?"

Anakin had been wondering that himself, but he doubted Ahsoka would answer. Normally, that wouldn't stop him from trying. But what he was quickly learning was that this Ahsoka had a lot more moxie and nerve than his did and getting angry and demanding held little sway over her if she decided she wasn't going to tell him something anyway.

Still, Obi-wan was right. Who was Vader? And why was Vader so enamored with his wife that her death made him turn against his Master? Had his master promised Padmé to him once he killed all the Jedi, Anakin included. Just the thought caused him to grip his mechanical hand tightly.

Vader had to be someone they knew. Someone close enough that he developed strong feelings for his wife. Or maybe he was someone who was just closely watching her from afar. Like he had watched and dreamed about Padmé in his youth. Even though she had been out his grasp, he imagined if something had happened to her back then, he would have grieved and wanted to avenge her by finding the person who had harmed her. Ahsoka also said she knew Vader when he was a Jedi. So maybe he was closer than they thought. It would explain how she was able to work so nonchalantly with a Sith, but Anakin didn't know his Ahsoka to have many close friends in the Order besides Barriss, and that hadn't ended well… It might just be another difference between this future Ahsoka and his current one.

"Do you have any theories on who he might be?" Anakin finally asked

"No. Even though I find it suspicious, she's right that the best course of action is to leave Vader where he's at so long as the Sith Master, whoever he is, isn't going to make any moves any time soon. I just don't want your judgment clouded in this situation because you think they trust you have for the Ahsoka of this timeline means that you can trust this version of her from an alternate future. Though I don't pretend I could begin to comprehend the circumstances that bring their truce about, it bothers me that she's so nonchalant about being on good terms with the new Sith Master and allowing him to rule as an Emperor. You may know her, but you don't _know _her," Obi-wan warned.

Loathe as he was to admit it, Anakin knew Obi-wan was right and muttered solemnly, "Yes, Master."

Obi-wan then rested a hand on Anakin's shoulder and said, "I'm just saying be vigilant. Her story is certainly not what she seems to be trying to make it."

Obi-wan let him go after that, and Anakin went to find Ahsoka. As promised, she was in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, right in the center near the roaring waterfall. The good thing about being here is that most Jedi who came here either came to meditate or spar, so as long as Ahsoka looked like she was doing the same thing, she wasn't going to draw any attention.

"Everything good?" she asked when he stood next to her.

"For now," Anakin admitted.

Ahsoka nodded her head. "Well, since we're good for now, I guess this is the part where I ask if you have any clue where your padawan would have gone to after she left the Order."

"I don't know. I was hoping you'd be able to give us some direction on that."

"I think you'd best be able to figure that out."

"You may not be her, but you're a version of her."

"True, but she actually left the Order. I ended up staying. That alone tells a lot about the differences between us. You likely know her a lot better and could lead us to her faster."

That was the tricky part. Anakin knew Ahsoka, sure. But not outside of the confines of being a Jedi. Everything they did was connected to and because of their connection to the Jedi Order. If she had any secret dreams or aspirations that went beyond ending the war and being a Jedi, he didn't know of them. And just maybe that was the answer.

"She was confused when she left. Said she needed to figure some things," Anakin said. "So I'm guessing she would have wanted to do some soul searching. Far away from the Jedi and, eventually, far away from the Republic."

"I can imagine she didn't have any endearing thoughts or attachments to the Republic. I certainly didn't after that whole sham of a trial and being framed went down."

"But she wouldn't have gone far at first with no money, no resources, and no lightsabers. Likely would have spent time in the underworld of Coruscant and saved some credits before getting off-world," Anakin speculated. And then, before he could help himself, he asked, "What made you stay?"

Unfazed by the question like this Ahsoka generally seemed to be unfazed by anything, she shrugged and said, "I don't know. Probably the same things that made your Ahsoka leave. Regardless of what I chose, I was facing the same things. Fear of the unknown because for so long the Jedi had been my constant and then for them to rip that all away from me at the request of the Senate and turn their backs on me, I didn't know what I'd been part of anymore. But at the same time, at least the Jedi Order was familiar. I didn't know what I was without it. Whichever decision I made, I was scared. Not sure what awaited me. More than a little angry and betrayed."

"I…" Anakin trailed off and then decided to continue, "I didn't get a chance to ask Ahsoka all that before she left. My Ahsoka. Everything happened so quickly. I thought there would be time after everything had settled and then…"

"You know, I'm pretty sure when she left, she wasn't leaving you."

"That's not what she said. She said she needed to figure things out without the Council and without me. Sounds like leaving to me," Anakin said flatly to hide the sting of the memory as the exchange replayed in his mind.

"Maybe it was but…" Ahsoka trailed off, and this was the first time Anakin saw her looking very much like the sometimes-unsure teenager he'd trained instead of the mostly confident woman.

Finally, Ahsoka sighed and said, "You have to understand that you're such a force of nature. Such an overwhelming presence. Maybe it wasn't leaving so much as needing to take a step back and find herself without feeling forced in a certain direction by you."

"Are you saying I'm overbearing?" Anakin half-joked.

"In a way, yes," she said bluntly. "But that's not all I'm saying. I'm just… I'm just saying that I get it. In my time, my master is one of the few people I have left that I'm close to. And even now, I'm so intertwined with him that sometimes it can be hard to figure out where he definitively ends and where I begin. It can be frustrating, but I didn't blame you for it."

"I guess. And I know I should be comforted hearing that from you, but you still stayed despite all that. And she didn't. And it's like you said, I don't owe anything to you, so it's different. My plan was to leave the Jedi and go find her once the war ended, but based on the future that you're telling me might happen, I might not get the chance."

"That might have been true before, but now things are going different since I appeared and kirffed up this timeline. You'll get your chance once we notify the Council where we're going," Ahsoka assured. "But until then and because they're not going to be convening until later today, how about we go ahead and get a head start in the underworld and see if we can find any leads or paper trails."

Those leads and paper trails were shockingly easy to find, though Anakin guessed that was because Ahsoka hadn't had anyone to run or hide from, so why cover her tracks?

Just like he'd guessed, she'd stayed in the Coruscant underworld for a while, a few months actually, saving up credits so that she could take the cheapest public transport off-planet to Corellia where transport to some places in the Mid and Outer Rim would be considerably cheaper and easier to find. Using the holonet, they were able to get access to the passenger listings for all the transports off-planet from the city she'd gone to and then run an automatic search for her name. Since they had no clue where and when she might have gone, it took hours for the search to go through months of people going to and from the planet to see if her name might be listed. All based on a hunch and a feeling that she'd try to get as far away from the Republic and the War as possible and that since she had no reason to hide, she'd use her real name. If that didn't work, that meant they'd have to go to Corellia and ask around and hope someone had seen her.

While they waited, a thought occurred to Anakin, something he'd been wondering but hadn't remembered to ask until searching for his Ahsoka reminded him.

"I know Vader was with you on Malachor," Anakin said suddenly, and for whatever reason, he sensed apprehension at him mentioning Vader. He hadn't sensed her be apprehensive when talking about him before. "You said his name when we first found you, but where was I in all this?"

"You were there," Ahsoka said slowly, and Anakin wasn't sure what, but there was something odd in her tone. It didn't help that her apprehension increased a little before she seemed to rein it in.

Before he could ask anything else, the computer beeped, gaining both his and Ahsoka's attention. They groaned at the "no results found" that had popped up on screen.

"Maybe she didn't use public transport," Ahsoka suggested.

"Private transport is a lot more expensive. She wouldn't have been able to afford that," Anakin said thoughtfully as he tapped his fingers on the table they were at. "Maybe…"

He typed in a different name, and his gamble paid off in seconds.

The name appeared on the passenger list for a nonstop transport to a planet just on the edge of the Mid Rim and the Outer Rim. Vjjil. A planet with no rare resources to its name and strategically unimportant to either the Republic or the Separatists, it was largely ignored by the rest of the galaxy. As far as its residents were concerned, there was no war since it affected them so little.

"Amala Snips," Ahsoka said, tilting her head at the name. "What's that?"

"An alias that she used on the fly one of the rare times we were sent on an undercover intelligence-gathering mission since the Council had no else to send because as I'm guessing you can imagine, stealth and discretion was neither of our strong suits," Anakin said as he looked up the coordinates for the planet.

Ahsoka was quiet for a few beats as he did so before saying, "Interesting."

"What?"

"For someone that didn't want to be found, she sure did make sure that if you happened to be the one looking for her, you would find her," Ahsoka said. "I would leave tracks like that for you when we were trying to take down Vader's master. Sounds like she planned on you eventually coming to find her too."

The idea did little to comfort Anakin.

* * *

**AN**: You all are going to love the next couple of chapters. LOVE IT! Some of you have even been asking about it.


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

Even after three months on the planet, the lack of existence of the Republic (even though it was technically in Republic Space), the Separatist, and the war on Vjjil was disconcerting for Ahsoka. Sure they got news of what was going on in the war and closer to the core. But out here on this almost backwater, small, half land, half ocean planet covered in various climates like the mountainous and cold regions in the northeast and the warmer tropical climate in the southeast, what happened in the broader galaxy didn't matter as much.

That kind of distance was precisely the reason she had come to the planet. Self-discovery and trying to find herself outside the Jedi mandate was hard when she was so close to it on Coruscant. But here, where the only things that she heard about the war and the Core were what she heard on the holovision, she was able to gain distance and perspective that allowed her time to truly reflect. And reflect she did while spending most of her days working for a repair shop, the only other useful skill she had, learned from her former master, outside of being a Jedi.

"Ahsoka!"

She looked up from an appliance she was tinkering with that had been brought in a few days ago. On the other side of the counter were a few young local children.

Though the bustling town she'd chosen to reside in was diverse, a lone togruta was rare in these parts, and she stood out with her half-grown montrals, red-orange skin, and white markings. And while she hadn't been unwelcome in the town, besides her job and contrary to the usual social nature of the togruta species, she generally kept to herself. Not particularly eager to make friends, especially after the last close friend she had her age framed her.

Ahsoka mentally shook her head. Best not to go down that train of thought. Conflicted as she was about that, she tried not to hold what her old friend had done totally against her. Because even though she was wrong in her methods, the more Ahsoka thought about it and the more time and distance she got from the Jedi and the war, Ahsoka couldn't help but begin to think that Barriss had had a point.

Ahsoka actually did shake her head this time. She had plenty of time to think about that later. Instead, she gave the local children her full attention. They were the exception to her general rule of keeping to herself. Mostly because they wouldn't let her.

"Shouldn't you all be in school?" she asked with a smile.

"We've been out of school for hours, Ahsoka. Shouldn't you be off work?" a young Twi'lek girl asked.

Ahsoka glanced at the clock on the holovision in the corner of the shop. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of an update on the war. The ongoing crisis on Mandalore specifically. Ahsoka sighed and called the remote to her to turn it off, succeeding in both dimming her curiosity about the war and the Jedi and causing the children in front of her to gasp and giggle at the trick.

"You're right. Just give me one minute," Ahsoka said, reaching over to grab a tool from next to her only for it to float just slightly out of her grasp.

She turned to give a wry look to the Koorivar boy who chuckled in response.

"Very funny," Ahsoka said, summoning the tool to her before telling the children to give her a few minutes in the native language of the area.

They restlessly waited in the lobby area before she finally put the appliance away to return when its owner came to get it tomorrow. She put up all her tools and cleaned up her station before ushering the younglings out the shop in front of her and locking it behind her.

"Can you play with us today, Ahsoka?"

"Sometimes," Ahsoka said with a smile, "I wonder if the only reason you like me is because you think I'm a witch."

"We don't think you're a witch. You are a witch," said a young human boy.

Ahsoka shrugged. She never corrected them. One thing she had learned out here was that the perception of the Force and what it was was so much broader than the Sith and the Jedi or the light and the dark side. Here, away from everything and right at the very end of the reach of the Jedi, the Force just was. Something that those with an affinity for it unconsciously—sometimes consciously but mostly unconsciously—used to make life just a little easier or a little more fun. Like summoning a tool or a box just out of reach.

Or, Ahsoka thought dryly to herself as she sat under a tree in a nearby clearing, to toss a ball around while a group of younglings chased it about for as long as they could, usually until they're parents came looking for them.

The Council certainly wouldn't approve of such a frivolous use of the Force, but the resultant happy laughs and shrieks of younglings who knew nothing about responsibility or war or the Jedi Code didn't seem like such a frivolous use to her.

With the Force calm and serene around her, she leaned back against the tree, not quite in a meditative state, but a reflective one as she reflexively and barely with any thought or attention continued to move the ball around with the Force for the younglings to chase.

While she was content for now with staying on Vjjil, it wasn't going to be a permanent thing. Just long enough for her to figure out what she was going to do with her new freedom. Even now, with no clue what to do or where to go next, she could feel the restlessness building in her bones from doing little more than repairing appliances day in and day out. It didn't help that she didn't have any skills she could readily use outside of her skills with the Force, a lightsaber that she no longer had, and general combat. A bodyguard. Maybe? But Ahsoka had a feeling that anyone worth spending her time protecting was heavily involved in the war. Besides, she could see herself getting bored with that.

She sighed. Eventually, she'd figure that all out. But more important than that? She needed a ship, or it was going to be relatively hard to move around freely.

Ahsoka was jolted out her thoughts by a distinct and sudden bad feeling. Like someone was watching her. She tried to shrug it off. It wasn't uncommon for her to suddenly get anxious and tense over nothing. It wasn't something she'd noticed in the war and on the battlefield, likely because there was always some danger or darkness lurking around the corner and that tension and anxiety had served her well then. It had helped her survive. But now, where everything was calm and there was no danger always lurking near, it made her jumpy sometimes. The slightest wrong movement making her reach for a lightsaber that was no longer there.

This feeling, however, was persistent. And no amount of trying to let go of her irrational anxieties through the Force was helping, which only meant one thing.

The bad feeling was real. Now wasn't the time to react to it though. First things first. Send the children home and get them out the way of danger.

"Alright, guys. It's getting late," Ahsoka said as she stood from her spot and concealed her anxieties behind her mental shields.

The chorused sounds of disappointment followed only to be replaced with jubilance when she said that maybe she wouldn't be too busy to play again tomorrow.

They all left except for the Koorivar boy from earlier who was looking at her in concern.

"Is everything okay, Ahsoka?" he asked.

Even with no training, his instincts were strong to pick up on the danger around him. Or maybe the danger was that much of a threat.

"I'm fine. Go home. Wouldn't want to worry your dad. I'll see you later," Ahsoka said calmly.

The boy nodded and ran off in the direction of the other children.

Once he was gone, Ahsoka drew strength in the Force to calm down and started to walk to her apartment—a small place that was little more than a hovel in the city with one big room that had a kitchen area and a bed in the corner for her to sleep. Hardly a home, really, but it was cheap and allowed her to save up the credits she needed to buy a ship.

She made it there with no issue, but as soon as she walked in, she knew someone was there waiting to ambush her with whoever had been watching her and followed her home.

While she didn't have a lightsaber, one of the first things she'd gotten her hands on after leaving the Jedi were blasters. Her first, she always took with her; another, she kept behind her pillow at night; the third, she got after arriving on Vjjil and kept in her cupboard.

Pretending she sensed nothing amiss as the feeling in the force heightened, she opened her cabinet and pretended to rummage around in the dark, looking for something to eat as her hand grabbed hold of her blaster.

She waited for just the right moment in the Force before whirling around with the blaster in her hand and shooting two shots into the shadowed corner of her one-room apartment. There was a cry of pain as her shots made their mark, but Ahsoka didn't let her guard down as she whirled around and shot two more shots toward her now open door as she ignored the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber being turned on.

The shots were, predictably, deflected by a red lightsaber.

Before the assailant could do anything, Ahsoka launched herself forward at them and grabbed onto the wrist of the hand holding the lightsaber and pushed them into the wall. The assailant pushed back, and behind her, Ahsoka sensed the one she shot turning on a lightsaber of their own and approaching her from behind.

Ahsoka mustered up a burst of strength to slam the assailant in front of her against the wall and swiftly knee them in the gut, causing them to falter in stance just enough that Ahsoka was able to swing them around into the second assailant that was coming up behind her. She heard them topple onto the floor as she ran out her little apartment to find… she wasn't sure what. But she'd probably have to do what she'd been trying to avoid doing these last few months; steal a ship to get away. Then she could figure out what was going on.

She didn't get far before a third assailant jumped down in front of her, and she didn't have to turn around to know that the two she'd left in her apartment had caught up.

"Kriff," she muttered.

One assailant with a lightsaber was already difficult enough to deal with, though deal with it she definitely could have. Two? Her chances were slimmer but she could manage. But three assailants with a lightsaber surrounding her with her only weapons being two blasters, and Ahsoka started not to like her chances of getting away with no serious injuries, if alive.

"What do you want?" she asked, falling into a defensive stance and gripping her blaster tighter even though it would probably be useless.

"You're going to pay for your transgressions against our master," one of them, a female near-human, hissed.

"You're going to have to more specific. I've made a lot of transgressions during this war and pissed off more than my fair share of people who called themselves a master of someone," Ahsoka pointed out.

"It's not going to be your concern to worry about because we're going to take away your chance to do it."

All three began to lunge toward her and Ahsoka Force pushed the two behind her away before ducking under the lightsaber of the near-human female in front of her. She turned to face her again only to find herself thrown back by a Force push. She groaned as she hit the ground but had no time to recover and forced herself to roll over to dodge the lightsaber that her assailant tried to plunge into her face.

While the near-human lifted her saber for another blow, Ahsoka delivered a Force enhanced kick to the woman's chest, sending her flying backward only for the other two assailants to launch themselves in the air at her from two sides.

Ahsoka managed to roll to her feet and leap backward, narrowly dodging their blades though she did get grazed in her side by one of the sabers. She ignored the pain and started running again. Without a lightsaber to fight back with, it was her only option.

She didn't get far, yet again, before she ran into a tall hooded figure in black blocking her way. She resisted the urge to growl in frustration at yet a fourth assailant. The Force _really _wasn't on her side today…

They too lit a red lightsaber, and Ahsoka began to contemplate if she could jump high enough to get on the roof of one of the buildings around her. Though she'd lost some of her physical stamina over the last few months, she should be able to make it with the Force.

Before she could though, the fourth person used the Force to throw her aside and then took on the three assailants that had been coming behind her.

The three were severely outclassed by the newcomer, who barely gave them time to defend as he quickly and aggressively struck down with his red lightsaber. Every stroke of his blade seemed to carry the strength and skill of a dozen Force lightsaber users, and something about those powerful, aggressive strikes seemed very… familiar to her.

"There was a time," the newcomer, a male, began as he held his lightsaber down on all three of the sabers of the assailants who were desperately trying to force him back, "that I grudgingly respected your persistence in getting your revenge. But now? It's just kriffing annoying."

That said, Ahsoka felt a spike in the Force as he used it to enhance his strength and force his lightsaber down harder on the assailants. They all stumbled against his strength.

One quick maneuver with his lightsaber later, all three lay dead and dismembered on the ground.

Ahsoka stood to her feet, curious but cautious as the man looked down at his work. He might have killed the other three, but that didn't mean he wasn't coming after her. It wouldn't be the first time she heard of hunters killing each other so they could get credit for the real prize.

He turned to her, and Ahsoka almost started to run until he shut off his lightsaber and put it on his belt.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Ahsoka said slowly and the sound of his voice registered. But there was no way… "Master?"

The human male lowered his hood and Ahsoka sucked in a sharp breath as she looked at her former master's face but… not quite. He looked older. Not old or even anywhere near it necessarily, but he was definitely much older than when she'd last seen him seven months ago. His face was sharper and more defined with age, his shoulders broader, his eyes harder, his hair a little longer but just as wavy and disheveled with a few grays, a new scar that went diagonally across his neck and into the black armor on his chest.

"Master?" she asked again when he didn't answer.

"No," he said and then added, "Not the one you're familiar with anyway."

* * *

**AN:** I do not apologize for this cliffhanger. That is all.


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

Before Ahsoka could even try to process what her master—not master?—meant, he turned and began to walk away. She ran after him without thinking, ignoring the way her side flared up in pain where it was burned.

"Wait," she said when she was standing next to him. He didn't wait and continued to walk in long strides that Ahsoka had to jog to keep up with. "What do you mean you're not my master?"

He continued to silently walk away. To where? Ahsoka wasn't sure.

"Would you say something?" Ahsoka continued and was about to shout his name when her side flared up again. Her movement had agitated the area, and the once cauterized wound began to seep drops of blood.

Finally, he stopped walking and gazed down at her with a frown as he said, "I thought you said you were alright."

"I am," Ahsoka hissed. "It's barely even a wound. It'll heal."

He clearly didn't believe her.

"Where are you staying, young one?" he asked.

She didn't particularly like him calling her "young one," but she supposed at his older age, he could get away with it better than she knew her master could in the past.

"My apartment is back the other way," Ahsoka said, pointing behind them.

He nodded and turned to follow her to where she lived, this time not keeping a pace that would force her to jog to keep up with him. Seeing that he wasn't going anywhere now, Ahsoka figured they could wait until they got back to her apartment for her to ask questions.

When they were in her small apartment, he casually raised his hand to use the Force to put back everything in place that had been disturbed during the fight earlier.

"Do you have any first aid materials?"

"No," Ahsoka muttered as she tried not to be in awe of how effortlessly he'd put everything in place. Even for the most powerful Force users, it would have taken a bit more concentration than just a casual wave of the hand. "Not like I expected anyone to attack me all the way out here."

He made a gruff noise and then made his way over to where Ahsoka was now sitting on the bed. He knelt down and inspected the wound before nodding and saying, "It doesn't look to be that bad. It was you running that agitated it. Try not to overexert yourself until it's healed."

"The only reason I was exerting myself at all was because you wouldn't stop."

"Sure, Snips."

"So… you are my master," Ahsoka said.

"No."

"But you're Anakin Skywalker," Ahsoka tried.

He hesitated but finally said, "Yes."

"Well, then. Guess I can cross my master's long lost father off the list," Ahsoka said.

Anakin made a noise that wasn't quite a laugh but more of an acknowledgment that he found her pondering amusing. Then he said, "It's best if you just forget that I was ever here."

"Best if I forget?"

"I don't know what kind of undercover mission the Jedi have got you working on, especially one where you couldn't bring your lightsaber, but you may want to contact them and your master and tell them you need to be extracted. I don't know if more of them are here," he advised.

"I'm not here on a mission. The Republic nor the Separatists care anything about this world."

"Then why…?"

"I left the Jedi Order. And personally, I'm trying to stay as far away from anything to do with them or the war as possible. Hence why I'm out here."

Anakin frowned. "But that's not right."

"What do you mean that's not right?"

"You didn't leave the Order."

"You think I'd know the answer to that."

Anakin didn't reply to her comment as he contemplated over something and then a look of realization, annoyance, and frustration crossed his features as he cursed in what Ahsoka thought may be Huttese. She wasn't positive.

"Change of plans," Anakin said. "You're coming with me."

Ahsoka blinked in surprise and then opened and closed her mouth a few times before the words came to her. "Coming with you. To where? I'm not going back to the Order."

"That's the last place I want to go. Trust me. And I'd prefer not to take you with me at all. But that's not the last you're going to see of those Ghost inquisitors. They'll come back for you. And you don't stand much of a chance without a lightsaber. So I'd advise you to accept my generosity until I can get all this sorted out, so we don't divert the course of your future much more than it already has been by my presence."

Ahsoka wasn't sure where to start with that one. His generosity? Her future? Ghost inquisitor? What was that? And why did he have a red lightsaber?

"My future?" she decided to start with.

Anakin sighed. "Long story short, I'm from the future. But apparently not your future because my Ahsoka never left the Jedi Order. Now come on. We've got to get off this planet. And the best way to do that is to borrow a ship."

"Tonight?" Ahsoka asked.

"We don't have a lot of time to waste. No telling what kind of disturbances and ripples in the Force this event has caused. If I can sense it then…" Anakin trailed off and then shook his head. "Come on."

Ahsoka muttered to herself, "What happened to not overexerting myself?" Since she probably wasn't going to get an answer to that, she said, "So, your Ahsoka. She's a Jedi Knight?"

"Yes. One of the few left after The Sith took over and killed most of the Jedi."

"Kill the Jedi?" Ahsoka asked. "We lose the war."

"Not technically. But that doesn't matter."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?"

"It just doesn't. Now come on."

Ahsoka stood to her feet and put her hands on her hips leveling this supposed future Anakin with a glare as she said, "I don't know what your Ahsoka puts up with from you, but I'm not her, and you're not my master. I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."

Ahsoka sensed something chilling and just on the edge of dangerous settle in the room, presumably coming from this future Anakin as his, until now shielded, Force signature flared before he quickly regained control and once again it was muted. At least now she was certain that he was her master—a version of him anyway.

Finally, Anakin growled and said, "The Sith take over the Republic and destroy the Jedi. The Sith turn the Republic into an Empire. As a result, someone the Sith apprentice cares about very much dies, and after he finally gets over his grief, he conspires with the remaining Jedi to kill the Sith master. Your future self, a version of it, _my _Ahsoka, plays a pivotal role in the overthrow of the Sith master and now his inquisitors and remaining dark side servants, the ones who we call Ghosts, are out for revenge against her. Since they've been pitifully unsuccessful in my future and one of the priorities of the new leaders is making sure the Old Empire's remnants can't regroup and reform, they found a way to time travel so they could kill her in the past. I don't know anything about time travel, so I don't know if that would have even worked. All I do know is that while we were trying to stop them in a Sith temple on Malachor in the future, my Ahsoka jumped through some portal behind them in the chaos of the temple collapsing and I followed her to bring her back, but we ended up in two different places in this different timeline. So we're going to find her, kill the Ghosts, and once we're done and figure out a way to go back, I'll bring you back here to live out whatever exile you put yourself in. Happy?" Anakin snapped finally.

Despite her best judgment telling her she probably shouldn't test this Anakin for some reason, Ahsoka said, "No."

Anakin's face turned dark.

"But less confused than before so… I guess I can take that. For now."

Anakin still didn't look pleased by that but said, "Gather whatever you need and let's go. It'll be easier to get a ship before dawn."

"You mean steal," Ahsoka corrected.

Anakin sent her another dark look, and Ahsoka decided not to push her luck again. At least not until they were on a ship going to wherever they were going, and he was a lot less agitated. If he wasn't just always this agitated… which by the time they were on their "borrowed" ship (Ahsoka left what credits she had on her), she was starting to believe he was.

"Anakin," she said as he began to hotwire the ship to bypass the access codes to get it started.

"Yes."

"Why are you carrying a Sith lightsaber?"

"I lost mine in the shuffle that brought us here. So I borrowed this one."

This may not be her master, but it seemed like even an Anakin Skywalker from an alternate timeline was still a bad liar. Instead of pointing that out though, she asked, "So… what else is different in the future? Compared to yours."

"No telling. But I imagine a lot if you left the Order in this one."

Another lie. Ahsoka was pretty sure that she had unknowingly revealed a lot more to him by her earlier admission than he had revealed to her in his vague explanation.

"In the future… how do the Sith gain control of the Republic and kill the Jedi?" When he didn't answer, Ahsoka continued, "I mean, if the Separatists lost the war, the Jedi beat the Sith who were leading it. How would they have taken over?"

Anakin seemed to debate whether or not he was going to answer her but then sighed, probably figuring it would be better to answer her questions and get them out the way rather than ignore her.

"Because in our world, they've already infiltrated the Republic and the government. No matter who won or lost, the Sith made it so that they were always going to win. It was too late as soon as the war started. Maybe even long before then…"

Before she could even think about it, Ahsoka declared, "We need to go to Coruscant."

"That is the very _last_ place we need to go."

"Look, I'm not exactly eager to go back to Coruscant either, especially to the Jedi. But if what you say is true, we have to warn them."

"It's true in my future. We don't know if that's true here. You left the Jedi. There are probably other changes that could have changed the course of this future."

"Maybe things are really different," Ahsoka admitted. "But there are a lot of things still the same. Like the fact that there's a war, to begin with. Or the fact that events were similar enough that I became your padawan where you come from too. Even if it is different, what's the harm in warning the Jedi at the risk of maybe being wrong when there's a chance everything you know is true in your world might also be true in mine, and we can prevent that from happening."

"I thought you wanted to be as far away from the war as possible. Not to mention you left the Order. What do you care?" Anakin asked as he finished his hotwire and began to get the ship started.

"Because I left so I could figure out some things that I didn't think I could while being part of the Order," Ahsoka said, raising her voice some in frustration. "But that doesn't mean I want the Jedi destroyed. I've got concerns about the Jedi, but they don't deserve that."

"That's debatable depending on who you ask."

"Sure if you ask a Sith," Ahsoka exclaimed and then snapped, "The Anakin Skywalker I know wouldn't stand by and let people suffer if he could do something to help them. He'd try to save them!"

"I'm not the Anakin Skywalker you know!" he snapped rounding on and leaning forward to tower over her.

That chilling and almost dangerous feeling settled in the air again, and this time Ahsoka was sure it was from Anakin as his Force signature flared a lot longer than it had earlier in her apartment. It was familiar to her… still Anakin's signature but darker, even as the light so desperately fought to burn through despite it.

Ahsoka took a moment to calm her nerves and racing heart, taking comfort in the fact that the Force assured her this Anakin wouldn't hurt her, even as he loomed dangerously over her.

Finally, she managed to say softly, "You've changed."

He stood over her a moment longer before turning back to the controls as he finally got them ready to take off.

"A couple of decades does that to you, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka knew that, but this was a different change. Even the darkness of his Force signature. While he'd always had a little darkness in him—they all did in this war, Ahsoka was learning—it hadn't been like this.

"What happened to you, Master?" Ahsoka asked.

As he guided them into the air with one hand while rubbing his chest with the knuckles of the other, he said, "Don't ask questions that you don't want to hear the answer to, _padawan_."

That comment made Ahsoka give pause. And eventually, she decided maybe it was better not to know. She'd decided not to say anything more to him when, as they were leaving Vjjil's atmosphere, a large battleship came out of hyperspace. A Separatist ship.

"I thought you said the Separatist and the Republic have no interests in this planet."

"They don't," Ahsoka said and then corrected, "They didn't. Not when I left."

"Which means something changed when you left."

"I've been here for almost four months. What could have changed?"

"The Ghosts from my future is what," Anakin muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean I think they managed to get in touch with the Sith master, and they're here for you."

"But how do they know I'm here? No one knows I'm here. I mean, they could probably find out. But it would take a while."

"The Sith were much more powerful than the Jedi could have even comprehended in my future. They knew a lot of things and had control over a lot of the galaxy by this time into the war. It wouldn't have been hard to find you," Anakin said.

Ahsoka's stomach felt as though it were twisting, and she curled her fingers tightly into the arm of her chair. She didn't want to ask, but she had to. The Force was urging it.

"Anakin, if the Sith are that powerful already, what are they waiting on?"

She didn't need to be specific about exactly what. She was sure Anakin would get the idea.

Before he could answer, if he were going to answer, their ship jerked.

"Kriff," Anakin said as he hit the dashboard with his fist.

They were caught in the tractor beam.


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

"Well, at least it's good to know that your tendency to get yourself and others into trouble hasn't changed," Ahsoka said with a longsuffering sigh as she and this future Anakin were led through the battleship, cuffed, their weapons taken, and surrounded by way too many battle droids. But she supposed they didn't want to take any chances. Her reputation as Anakin Skywalker's former padawan likely preceded her.

Anakin huffed. "I'm hardly the one to blame for this. If you hadn't been so stubborn, we would have long been out of this system before now."

"Can I point out that it's your problem from your alternate future that's the reason for all this in the first place? I had avoided being captured and taken hostage for seven months since I left the Order before today."

"That streak inevitably had to end some time."

Apparently, his wit and sense of humor hadn't changed. At least not completely. For a moment, Ahsoka could pretend that this was her Anakin and not one from an alternate future where terrible things had changed him for the worst.

Ahsoka would have replied if a presence hadn't entered the perimeter of her senses as they were led to the bridge of the ship.

"This isn't Count Dooku's flagship," she muttered, more to herself than to Anakin next to her.

He replied anyway. "I imagine for this little mission, he wouldn't have wanted to attract the attention of the Jedi and the Republic. That's much easier if you use a ship that's not your own. I've pulled this trick before to make my enemies let their guard down. Besides, it's not the planet they want. Just you."

"Us."

"I don't think he knows I'm here yet, though he's about to."

Anakin's dark amusement at the situation slipped through his shielding, and Ahsoka added that to the mental list of things that hadn't changed as they finally got to Count Dooku, flanked by two force users dressed the same way as the ones who attacked Ahsoka before. Inquisitor's she guessed.

"Count Dooku. After your death twenty years ago, I didn't think I'd get the unfortunate honor of our paths crossing once again," Anakin said.

"All thanks to your former companions from your distant future," the Sith said. "They've been very useful to my master about how events unfold. And we're very appreciative for the forewarning."

"Oh, are you?" Anakin asked in a teasing tone. "I'm assuming you also got the forewarning about how Darth Vader bests you in a duel and kills you before the end of the Clone Wars at your master's request and becomes the new Sith Apprentice. And that in the grand scheme of his overthrow in twenty years, you're less than insignificant."

Count Dooku's eyes widened just so slightly at Anakin's words, and Ahsoka sensed the latter's smug satisfaction as he continued, "Guess your esteemed master decided to leave that out, huh? Don't know why you're so surprised. Treachery is the way of the Sith."

"You will suffer for your arrogance, young Skywalker," Count Dooku finally replied.

"Young Skywalker… Haven't had anyone call me that in a while, though I've been told I look great for my age."

Ahsoka coughed to hold back a scoffing laugh. She'd call it cockiness if she didn't get the distinct underlying feeling of carefully veiled danger beneath the words. Like a predator teasing his prey.

"Take these two to detention for now. My master will deal with them."

Ahsoka resisted the urge to sigh. It had been seven months since she was last put in a cage too. Another thing Ahsoka could attribute to the influence of her former master, regardless of what timeline he came from.

She said as much when they were locked in their cell, hands still cuffed with Force resistant cuffs. Even if they weren't cuffed though, there was still the energy shield locking them in. Ahsoka probably could've gotten out the cuffs eventually, even without any tools, but that energy shield would have been tricky.

"We're not captured," Anakin replied to her observation.

Ahsoka was about to point out sardonically that they looked captured to her until suddenly both his and her cuffs fell off their wrists and to the floor.

"How did you do that?" Ahsoka asked. "Those were Force resistant cuffs."

"Those stopped working on me years ago. Not exactly sure when. I don't find myself in cuffs often anymore in the Empire," Anakin said as he went to the wall next to the energy shield door keeping them trapped.

"I thought you said you all killed the Sith Master."

"We did."

"But you didn't restore the Republic."

"The same Republic that helped put us in the mess we were in," Anakin said absently as he held his hand just above a place on the wall. "The same Republic that gave the Sith Master the unchecked power to take over in the first place? The same Republic that by your own admission you wanted to get away from? A lot of people weren't a fan of that idea."

Ahsoka wanted to argue with that but found she couldn't. She'd been in the underworld of Coruscant for months. And while there wasn't a mass exodus of people running or wanting to join the Separatists, anti-Republic sentiment and general disgruntlement with the Republic and its leaders was a common thing.

"So… who's the Emperor now."

Anakin paused, and Ahsoka got the distinct impression it wasn't because he was trying to concentrate even though the energy shield dissipated right at that moment.

"The Sith Master's former apprentice."

"Vader," Ahsoka stated.

"Yes."

"And no one has a problem with that. The Jedi left don't have a problem with that. _You_ don't have a problem with that."

"It's not as simple as you're making it out to be."

"But Vader's a Sith, right?"

"Yes. My Ahsoka calls him a very untraditional Sith in some ways. Whatever that means," Anakin scoffed as they continued out the detention area, only stopping for him to grab his lightsaber (or at least the one he'd used earlier), along with two more that Ahsoka saw taken from him.

"Hopefully, those ways include not being murderous, power-hungry, and generally evil."

Anakin stopped and his muted force signature flared again, just so briefly that anyone but someone who was very familiar with it would have missed it. Then he took a deep breath and continued before saying, "I don't remember you asking this many questions at this age."

"Maybe your Ahsoka didn't. But you can't blame me. This is a lot to take in, and you're not telling me what I want to know."

"That's because there are some things you don't need to know. We find my Ahsoka, we kill the Ghosts, and I take you back to your exile."

If Ahsoka had anything to do with it, that was absolutely _not _the plan. She hadn't exactly come up with a plan of her own yet considering what limited information she had, but she'd press that when they got out of here. Speaking of which…

"Where are we going? The ship is back that way."

"The point of getting captured was to get information. Would be a waste to leave without it."

The point…

"Wait a minute. You got us captured on purpose?" Ahsoka demanded.

"I had a feeling one of the first things the Ghosts would try to do is get in touch with the Darth Sidious. It's what I would have done. Now I just need to know what they told him, so we won't be going in here blind," Anakin said as they moved through the ship. "It's one of the reasons Dooku is still alive."

One of the reasons. The other, Ahsoka was sure, had to do with his reluctance to interfere with this timeline. Another change. Her Anakin wasn't this calculating and cautious or worried about the long game.

"So you purposely got us captured?" Ahsoka asked again.

"We weren't captured. I only made it appear that way. There's not a lot of technology, especially twenty years in the past, that can contain me anymore."

"How come?"

"Because Force inhibiting cuffs work by restricting or containing someone's Force abilities. And since they can't fully contain or restrict my Force abilities, they can't inhibit them," he replied. "The most they do is weaken my connection some. It's a fact that I don't broadcast. Gives me the upper hand in situations like these."

That still didn't make a lot of sense to Ahsoka, but before she could ask more, he gestured for her to both stop talking and walking just as they were about to round a corner. Ahsoka barely got to see why, one of the inquisitors headed in their direction, before Anakin used the Force to halt them mid-stride.

Anakin rounded the corner and smirked at the way the inquisitor's eyes widened in horror.

"Now, now," Anakin said. "You really didn't think a cell and some cuffs could contain me and my power, did you? Now, why don't you and I have a little talk."

Anakin opened a door off to the side and threw the inquisitor in before looking at Ahsoka and saying, "Keep watch for me."

Ahsoka watched as he went in the room and the door slid locked behind him. She got the feeling that as powerful as this future Anakin was, powerful enough that even cuffs designed to block the Force were unable to contain him or his power, that he could probably sense danger coming their way long before she could ever alert him to it. It felt more like the work the masters would give her as a youngling in the Jedi Temple to make her feel like she was helping and that would no doubt hone her skills but that they really didn't need her to do. More specifically, in this situation, Anakin wasn't trying to give her any more information than he'd already given her.

Ahsoka sighed and slid down the wall next to the door as she waited.

"So much for not being a padawan anymore…" she muttered.

* * *

The hyperspace ride to Vjjil was largely uneventful. The most eventful part, to Anakin, was before they left and watching Ahsoka and Obi-wan convince the Jedi Council to let them leave the planet to retrieve his former Padawan. And now that Anakin knew what to look for because Padme told him what she was doing, it was easy to see how Ahsoka deflected. Answering questions truthfully but broadly and vaguely. It also helped that she was upfront about not being all the way forthcoming. Something about her honesty about lying made the Council let their guard down though they were no less apprehensive of her. And truthfully, knowing the entire story (or the entirety of what this version of Ahsoka is willing to give right now), Anakin understood why.

In the end, though, they gave them a week to go to Vjjil, look for this timeline's Ahsoka and bring her back to Coruscant where they could reconvene and figure out how best to deal with the threat that had come to their timeline with the older, alternate, version of his former padawan. Anakin got the feeling, though, that Ahsoka had no intention of following that timeline, and that they're going to be gone at least a little longer than the week that the Council gave them.

Padmé wasn't too thrilled about that. Like Anakin had predicted, she'd argued about being needed on Coruscant if what the future Ahsoka said was true, all the while packing and giving instructions to her handmaidens who would be playing decoy for her by going back to Naboo in light of the "attempt on her life." It was only going to be a week, he'd said. And Padmé had given him a withering glare because history said that their mission wasn't going to be anywhere near as simple as he'd tried to make it out to be.

As soon as they dropped out of hyperspace, Anakin was immediately aware of two things. One was the Separatist ship hovering over the planet, that according to their intel was insignificant and held no strategic advantage to either the Separatists nor the Republic. The other was Ahsoka, _his Ahsoka_, was on that ship.

"Ahsoka's on that ship," he stated out loud for both the benefit of Padmé and the future Ahsoka.

"I know," Ahsoka said and then continued, "This isn't good. This means that the inquisitors have somehow already managed to alert the Sith Master of what happens in our future and exactly how his apprentice betrays him."

"Why didn't you say that before?" Anakin asked.

"I did. That's why I wanted Obi-wan to stay taking missions in the Outer Rim just in case. Remember? I just didn't think they'd move that quickly…"

She trailed off again, and Anakin got the feeling there was something else she wasn't saying. Especially with the way she tilted her head and looked absently at the ship in front of them. Whatever clarity he needed about all this, the Force was telling him it was on that ship.

"We've gotta save Ahsoka," he declared.

Ahsoka looked like she was going to argue, but then she thought the better of it because she closed her mouth and nodded. Anakin was thankful for that because the more time he spent arguing with this Ahsoka and her insistence on being as vague as possible, the more time they wasted when he could be getting _his_ Ahsoka out of there.

"Please tell me one of you have a plan for this," Padmé asked sighing.

"Let the tractor beam bring us right in," Ahsoka said with a shrug.

"And then do tell how we would get out without the tractor beam pulling us back in when we escape," Anakin asked with his arms crossed.

"I'll worry about that," Ahsoka declared.

"Without a maneuver that would damage our engines and thrusters and have us potentially stranded in space," Anakin added.

"Look, I know you have a lot of reason to be just a little wary of me by now, and I'd be concerned if you didn't, to be honest. But on this one, trust me. We'll get out," Ahsoka assured. "Safely and without damaging the ship. Let's just focus on finding Ahsoka."

Anakin looked at Padmé who shrugged. Though Anakin could probably think of creative ways to get on the ship that didn't involve essentially letting them be captured, they didn't have a lot of time. And truthfully, he'd trust Ahsoka no matter what timeline she claimed to hail, even if his better judgment told him otherwise. Even if the Force was whispering for him to be cautious. But he wasn't sure that was because of Ahsoka.

"Fine," Anakin said. "We'll go with your plan."

Not that they had much of a choice now that Anakin felt the distinct pulling that indicated they'd been caught in the tractor beam. When they were in the hanger, no one greeted them as they made their way off their ship except for a few droids guarding the hanger that Anakin and Ahsoka made quick work of while Padmé, at Ahsoka's insistence, stayed on the ship with Artoo.

"_Trust me," Ahsoka had muttered with a roll of her eyes. "By the time we get the attention of the ones in command with our rescue, you on this ship won't be anywhere near their concerns."_

"Which way?" Ahsoka asked as they went through the halls.

"You're actually letting me take the lead on this for once?" Anakin teased.

"It's probably easier for you to sense my Force signature than for me to sense myself. How often do you reach out to find yourself in the Force?"

Anakin made a sound of acknowledgment of her point as he locked onto the signature of his former apprentice. They hadn't gotten too far by the time alarms began to blare in the ship.

"Looks like we tripped something," Anakin said cheerfully.

Then there was an announcement about a breach in the detention block, and Ahsoka said, "Sounds like my other self took her rescuing into her own hands and caused a storm of chaos in the process."

"What else would you expect from her?" Anakin asked with a grin as the halls filled with battle droids, and he lit his lightsaber while Ahsoka lifted a blaster off her hip.

"Nothing less of the girl trained by you, Skyguy."

* * *

**AN: **In the next chapter, everyone meets! And yeah... they agree that it's super awkward.

I really fooled myself into thinking this was going to be a short little fic. 15 chapters at most... and while now writing the 14th chapter I've realized that I'm not even halfway done. Sigh. Okay. Anywho, enjoy. Also, I love all your guessing and theorizing what's going to happen. Keep it coming.


	9. Chapter 9

**9**

Between Anakin and the alternate future Ahsoka, they'd fought their way through dozens of droids toward the detention block. Anakin figured that if the present Ahsoka was running from the detention block, eventually they'd run into her. Her presence was getting closer and closer, so he was probably right.

As they rounded a corner, the Force whispered a warning, and Anakin lit his lightsaber to defend him and Ahsoka from the imminent strike. Their attacker, an inquisitor with a hood covering their head and a mask covering the lower part of their face, leapt back and got into an aggressive pose.

"Great," Ahsoka muttered. "Another one of the Ghosts."

"Ghosts?" Anakin asked.

Ahsoka nodded. "They're no-name inquisitors that not even Vader was aware existed. We've got no record of them, and there's no telling how many of them exist or who they even are. The only reason we found out about their existence at all is when one of them managed to infiltrate the Empress's security and tried but failed to kill her. It's why we've been having so much trouble tracking them all down and getting rid of them in the first place."

"Just how skilled are they?" Anakin asked at the ready for when the Ghost attacked.

"Skilled enough to kill former Jedi Masters," Ahsoka said.

"Sounds fun," Anakin said with a smirk and then, just underneath the hood of the Ghost, he made eye connect and both charged at each other.

Their blades met, and Anakin let instinct take over as he aggressively met the Ghost's attacks stroke for stroke before going in with attacks of his own.

"Find Ahsoka," Anakin said somewhere between the clashing of his lightsaber against the Ghosts. And then remembering what his companion had said about not being able to sense herself, he added with a nod of his head down the hall, "She's that way."

She nodded, and while Anakin held the Ghost in place, she managed to skirt by them and run the rest of the way down the hall. Noticing her escape, the Ghost used the Force to push Anakin backward down the hall before running after her. Anakin followed.

It wasn't long before he found both the Ghost and Ahsoka, who, without a lightsaber, was methodically ducking and dodging the Ghost's lightsaber. She was fast. Much faster than she had been when she was younger and even managed to get a hit to the chest and nose of the Ghost before jumping back to narrowly avoid the strike of the red lightsaber. She was just about to dodge another strike when Anakin intercepted with his lightsaber, and his fight with the Ghost continued.

Skilled as the Ghost was though, Anakin could tell that his aggressive strikes were tiring her out, and it was only a matter of time, a few more strikes and parries, before he was able to best her. But before that could happen, he heard the hum of an additional lightsaber, and a flash of red light struck across the Ghost's back.

The Ghost made a choked gasp before his red lightsaber fell from his loosened grip and clattered to the floor, and his body collapsed and thudded to the ground.

"Pathetic."

Before Anakin could give any attention to the newcomer, a familiar voice demanded as they caught up from behind, "How is it that you're not running yet you're moving so fast? Is that a new Force power too?"

"Ahsoka," Anakin said, looking past the newcomer.

"Master?" came the response.

All the words Anakin had rehearsed and pictured himself saying to her upon their reunion left his mind and was replaced by uncertainty as they stared at each other, neither quite sure what to do. Because the last time they saw each other, she told him she had to figure things out without him and walked away without looking back. And worse than that, he had let her.

Ah, screw it. She wasn't a Jedi anymore, and this whole situation was weird.

He walked to her and pulled her into a hug before whispering, "Thank the Force, you're safe."

Ahsoka shrugged in his arms. "Well, it's not that easy to get rid of me."

When he let her go, she shifted her weight to one side, crossed her arms, and sent him an impish grin before saying, "I just knew if your alternate future self was involved in this, eventually you were going to be involved."

At her statement, Anakin finally turned to look at her companion, the one who struck down the Ghost from behind during his duel just moments earlier, the alternate future version of himself. He looked like himself but different in his black robes and armor. Broader in the shoulders, more angles and sharpness in his face, a few years older, a few grays, with a certain… Anakin wouldn't call it weariness, but it came across that way in his eyes.

At some point, Ahsoka's older self came to stand next to her own Anakin and faced her younger self.

"This is…" Anakin began but trailed off.

"Weird," the future Ahsoka finished for him while inspecting her own young counterpart.

"So weird," his Ahsoka said.

"Yes. I'm sure that's something we all unanimously agree on," Anakin's older self began brusquely, "but we can be bothered by it later. Preferably after we've gotten off this ship."

Without even waiting on them to acknowledge his statement, he turned and began to make his way back the way Anakin and Ahsoka had come, and the rest of them followed because he had a point.

When they got to the hanger, it was filled with droids blocking their way out to which the older Anakin sighed and held out one of his gloved hands. His Force signature, which had been just as muted and hidden behind shields as Ahsoka seemed to keep hers, flared with his Force power before the battle droids in front of them all shut down.

While Anakin paused to look at the alternate version of himself in awe, Ahsoka, the one that belonged to this timeline said, "You could have done that this the whole time and you didn't?"

"It takes too much concentration and isn't tactically efficient most of the time," the older Anakin said dismissively as they made their way across the now cleared hanger before they could encounter any more resistance.

As they approached the ship, Anakin could already hear the low thrum of the ship's engines and thanked the Force that Padmé and Artoo had the forethought to get it started upon hearing the commotion.

"Good thing I didn't leave anything important on our _borrowed_ ship," Ahsoka said wryly to the older Anakin, who rolled his eyes at her cheekiness as they went up the ramp.

"I really do hope that you all found Ahsoka and managed to disable that tractor beam before," Padmé said when the rest of the group entered the cockpit.

"Oh no," Ahsoka said.

"The tractor beam," Anakin said.

"Don't worry about that," said Anakin's other self. "I've got it taken care of."

As she got out the pilot's chair to let Anakin have a seat, Padmé turned to look at the older Anakin, seeming unbothered by the ridiculousness of the situation, and then looked at the alternate Ahsoka and asked, "Your Anakin?"

"Yes," the alternate Ahsoka said with a longsuffering sigh.

Anakin imagined that Padmé was giving the future Ahsoka a sympathetic look as he sensed sympathy from his wife directed at the other woman, but he didn't have time to be offended as he flew the ship out the hanger.

"I really do hope you've got that tractor beam taken care of," Anakin said.

"I've got it," his other self said evenly while he put coordinates into the navigation at the same time as his companion from the future assured, "He's got it."

Anakin didn't get a chance to ask how before he felt his other self drop part of the shielding around his Force signature again. Then he expanded the Force outward to form a tangible yet intangible shield that covered their ship until they were far out of reach of the battleship's tractor beam.

"How did you do that?" Anakin asked before he could think better of it.

"The power of these battle stations and technological terrors are insignificant next to the power of the Force, I've learned," his other self answered.

"What's our destination?" Ahsoka asked.

"Somewhere far from here," Anakin's other self said vaguely. "It's already in the computer. Make the jump."

"Demanding much," Anakin muttered as he pulled the lever to make the jump into hyperspace.

Ahsoka scoffed from next to him and said, "You don't say?" as the view in front of them turned to long streaks of blue as they entered hyperspace.

Now long gone from their captors and not only faced with the absurdity of their situation but also forced to finally confront it, Anakin figured the quiet awkwardness from when they first faced each other but had set aside in favor of getting away from their enemies would return.

His future self, though, didn't have that reservation. He took one dark look at his Ahsoka and left the cockpit. The alternate Ahsoka sighed and followed him.

Anakin, Ahsoka, and Padmé all exchanged glances before nodding and following the two. They found them in the conference bay where the alternate Ahsoka was now sitting down and looking, for the first time since she'd arrived, reserved as she all but cowered before his alternate self as he towered over her.

Anakin's alternate self took a deep breath, drawing the force into himself as though trying to calm himself, but failed spectacularly.

"Of all the reckless things that I've known you to pull over the years, this one tops even when you when you went undercover _by yourself_ to infiltrate Jabba's palace as a slave with _no _backup and would be the most reckless thing you've ever done if not for what you did when we finally took down the Emperor," he ground out.

"It wasn't that reckless…" alternate Ahsoka muttered.

"Well, then. Perhaps you'd like to inform me what following a bunch of at best nutcases through a portal that you had no clue what was on the other side or what it resulted from is?"

"I didn't really follow them. One happened to run away from me through the portal, and I chased them without realizing it." Anakin's other self didn't at all look placated making the other Ahsoka quickly add, "But you followed me."

"What else did you think I was going to do? And if that wasn't enough," he continued before the other Ahsoka could say anything, "You had to go and drag them into this."

As he spoke, he callously gestured behind him to where Anakin, Padmé and Ahsoka were standing.

"Actually, you got my other self involved."

"I'm quite sure one as clever as yourself can deduce the necessity of such a thing."

"I've told you about talking to me like I'm one of your subordinates. And I didn't have a choice. I fell out of that portal in front of a younger version of you and Obi-wan and didn't know what was going on."

"And Padmé gets involved, how?"

"I had to."

"I didn't ask why. I asked how?"

"I was at her apartment when three Ghosts attacked me."

"Why were you even there?"

"I just wanted to see an old friend. You wouldn't have done the same thing?"

Something silent to the onlookers, but apparently loud and clear between the time travelers, passed between the two. Though Anakin wasn't sure what it was, he got an inkling of sadness, guilt, and resignation, though he couldn't tell which of the two it was coming from.

Finally, his other self threw up his hands in frustration and directed towards Anakin, "You can drop us off at our next stop. We'll figure out how to get out of this timeline from there and be out of your hair."

The Council was absolutely going to disagree with that. Anakin disagreed with that. Not without knowing how all this had happened because they got lucky, and this time it was his alternate self and Ahsoka that came through. But they'd bought their enemies with them. It could happen again. And they might not have allies to warn them of the threat ahead of time. Their alternate selves weren't going anywhere until they at least figured out how all this happened. Before he could say that though, the other Ahsoka beat him to saying anything.

"We can't leave now. The Ghosts are here. There's no telling what they've done."

"Not our problem."

"We can help them."

"It doesn't mean we should. We're going to figure out how to get back to our timeline, and once we do, we're going back whether you want to or not. End of story."

The other Ahsoka stood to her feet then, blue eyes narrowed and hands placed on her hips as she said, "You can go back if you want. But I'm staying here."

The alternate Anakin crossed his arms and matched her stubborn gaze. "_Not_ if I have anything to do with it."

"Wow," Anakin muttered off to the side, certain that the two arguing companions couldn't hear them in their deadlock.

"Do we… fight like that?" Ahsoka asked.

"In a way," Padmé replied. "This, though… it seems a lot more personal."

"Good thing you have nothing to do with it then," alternate Ahsoka spat. "You work from the power and office of the Emperor while I work in the Empress' office. Her office makes the call to set Imperial Agendas, and the Emperor's office moves to execute it when military might is needed. Since I work in Empress' office, I get to make the call. I'm staying. And you can't do anything."

"The Empire doesn't exist here. And even if it did, you're conveniently leaving out that in some instances, the office of the Emperor overrides the agenda of the Empress' office if tactically he thinks it's not a good idea."

"And that can only happen if you can get the backing of the Senate. And the Senate isn't here. I'm staying."

"You don't know what you're getting into."

"I'm going to help them. It's our enemies that have given the darkness here more of an upper hand than it had in our time."

The other Anakin paused and then turned and paced away as he said somberly, "It already had more of an upper hand before we got here."

For some reason, that statement got the alternate Ahsoka to be quiet for a while as something chilling and ominous settled in the room. Finally, she said, "You had a vision when you came here, didn't you? You know what would have happened. What will happen if we leave and do nothing."

The alternate Anakin didn't say anything, so his Ahsoka pushed forward. "It's bad, isn't it? Just as bad as our timeline got."

"Worse. And I don't know if our interference would help."

"It certainly wouldn't make it worse."

"I've got experience trying to stop visions from happening. It could."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"It's not your call to make, though."

For the first time, Anakin's alternate self looked directly over at them, acknowledging that he was aware they had been there the entire time.

As far as Anakin was concerned, it was a no brainer. The story of what happened in the alternate timeline was already worse than he could have imagined, even if they'd (somewhat) been able to make the best of it. He couldn't imagine what his alternate self had seen that was worse. And it was either not do anything and let things still up pretty bad or do something that gave them a slim chance of avoiding an even worse future.

"I think whether or not we're willing to take the risk is irrelevant," he finally said. "It's a risk we have to take."

* * *

**AN: **This started to get simultaneously a lot more enjoyable and a lot harder to write after this point because there's a lot of things that need to happen, but I'm never sure in what order I should make it happen. That said, hope you enjoyed. Keep the follows, favorites, and reviews coming. I've already gotten a lot of this written ahead of time and if I think there's demand for it, I'll update more often (even though I already update often as it is).


	10. Chapter 10

**READ THIS: **I don't usually do author's notes at the beginning of my chapters anymore but just wanted to let everyone know for the sake of clarity.

Unless otherwise stated. Always assume that all chapters are written from the third person POV of either the Ahsoka, Anakin, or Padmé of the canon universe (Up until Ahsoka's departure anyway) and will always be referred to by just their names. Thus, the time-traveling Ahsoka and Anakin will always be referred to as "the alternate," "his/her other self" (depending on if a chapter is in Ahsoka's or Anakin's POV), or "older self/version, etc." If the POV isn't one of those three, I'm going to make it very clear and obvious that it's told from the time traveler's POV (won't be until much, much later if I do that).

It's a little clunky and even more annoying for me to write, but I didn't like the alternatives I came up with. I'm open to suggestions, though. Then I can go back and edit this chapter and the last to reflect such changes. Okay. That's it. Enjoy the story.

* * *

**10**

This was beyond weird. And apparently, everyone was to content to ignore how weird and awkward this was, Ahsoka decided as, clearly outvoted, the alternate Anakin grumbled something under his breath that Ahsoka didn't catch but that her older self certainly did as she laughed and said smugly, "Now you know how I feel all the time."

"Well, since you're so eager to help, what did the rest of your plan after retrieving this timeline's Ahsoka entail?" the alternate Anakin asked smugly.

Ahsoka watched as a sheepish expression crossed her other self's face indicating that she clearly hadn't thought this through, making her companion send a smug smirk in her direction. His behavior was a stark contrast to how generally intimidating, unimpressed, and harsh he'd been earlier. Sure he still seemed to be all of those things on the outside, but his tight shields now had loosened up some to allow his clear affection for his companion, which had caused his rage at her in the first place, to seep through towards her and in return, she seemed to unconsciously reciprocate.

Ahsoka raised an eye marking at that.

"I… hadn't gotten that far yet," her alternate self admitted.

"Well I guess it's a good thing in my interrogation with one of the Ghosts, I found out one of their secondary objectives in this timeline and where they might be going next. We're already headed there," the alternate Anakin replied.

"Wait a minute," Ahsoka asked. "I thought you didn't want to help. But you had a plan for helping out this whole time."

"No. I had a plan toward _leaving_ this timeline that might have inadvertently helped your timeline that didn't involve dragging living ghosts of my past along with me. Now that Ahsoka's dragged me into this plot though, I figure this is probably the best next step in her ill-thought-out plan."

Ahsoka's alternate self put a hand over her face and said in a longsuffering tone, "Okay. Anakin. We've talked about this. You can't always just make unilateral decisions like this without talking things over with everyone else involved."

"What's there to talk about? You don't have a plan. I have a plan. Case closed."

"And this is why things can be going so well, and then you and I end up having a huge argument that results in us not talking for a month."

"Are we going to ignore the times where the reason I had to make these unilateral decisions is because you went and got in over your head in yet another mission for the Senate?"

"That rarely happens anymore."

"Which is not infrequent enough, in my opinion. But go ahead then. Let's discuss our other options since we have time, though I think you and I have very different definitions of what that means."

"And this is exactly why the Empress' office doesn't like working with you on diplomatic and senate matters when you're Senate side. But again. Options."

Padmé was right, Ahsoka concluded. The back and forth between the time travelers all seemed very personal, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to ask or how to ask just how personal. This was already awkward enough with their lack of subtly. They must not have a need for it in their timeline she guessed.

"The Council wants us back on Coruscant in three days," Anakin said.

"Out of the question," alternate Anakin said.

"Anakin," her other self started to say, but her companion interrupted her.

"If you want my help, that is the very _last_ place I'm willing to go. I think this is the only situation where if you asked me to pick between Tatooine and Coruscant, I'd choose Tatooine. And we both know how much I _hate_ Tatooine," the alternate Anakin said.

"What do you have against going back to Coruscant?" Anakin asked.

"He doesn't have anything against the planet. It's the Jedi Council he doesn't want to face," the alternate Ahsoka said. "Let's just say… he and the Order weren't exactly on good terms when the Sith took over."

The older Anakin scoffed and said, "That's putting it mildly."

The alternate Ahsoka gave him a look that clearly said for him to say nothing else on the matter. And though the alternate Anakin rolled his eyes, he said nothing else. It was just another sign out of many that the two were hiding something. Something big. Ahsoka knew it when she first ran into the other Anakin, and she was certain of it now.

"He has a point though," Ahsoka said deciding to join in on the game of dealing with a matter that definitely needed their attention to avoid the potentially awkward issues that also needed to be addressed. "I wanted to go back to Coruscant to warn you all. But you all got your warning. The Council knows something's going on. What would be the point of going back now?"

"Well, being on Coruscant would make coordinating this investigation in who has interests in keeping this war going much easier," Padmé said.

"No," both time traveler's said together, and Ahsoka noted this was the first time they both agreed on something.

"Sidious knows we're here," the alternate Anakin said.

"And while I can make some educated guesses based on Vader's experience with him, I don't think any of us can predict what Sidious will do next based on that. All I do know is that he's going to weigh his actions carefully because he doesn't have Vader yet," the alternate Ahsoka explained. "One good thing about Sidious is that he prefers to bid his time and manipulate people into doing his bidding from afar so that he comes out looking like the white knight. Unless it's drastic, he's not going to make a move yet. And the further away from Coruscant we are, the less likely it is that we'll accidently give the Council a clue that will make them play into his hand so he can charge the Jedi with treason and accuse them of the plot to use the war to try to take over the Republic."

"And you're positive people will believe that?" Padmé asked. "That they'll go for it."

"Anti-Jedi sentiment isn't as uncommon as you think it is. It was pretty widespread back then—during our Clone Wars. They blamed the Jedi for the war in the first place," her other self said. "If this world is worse than ours, I'm willing to bet that sentiment is as common if not more."

"You keep saying that and yet still I can hardly believe it," Anakin replied, shaking his head.

"If you think about it though, it's not exactly a lie."

Everyone turned to look at Ahsoka, surprised looks crossing their faces. Even the normally passive alternate Anakin raised an eyebrow at her, and Ahsoka sensed another silent exchanged between him and her other self. Ahsoka couldn't blame them. She was surprised the words had slipped out herself.

Finally, Ahsoka said, "I stayed in the lower levels of Coruscant for months before I left, and I met and had dealings with a lot of the people that lived down there. Definitely ran into a lot of anti-Jedi sentiment, enough that it was surprising when I first got there. And I listened to those people and… at the risk of sounding like a Separatist, they aren't wrong. Every major war and Galactic conflict was because of an old grudge and clashing between the Sith and the Jedi. And if what they're saying is right about the Sith Lord already being in control and winning regardless of what side wins is true, those people have a point. Barriss, methods aside, had a point. The Jedi played right into the hands of a Sith by taking part in a war we should have had nothing to do with. At least not without a lot more investigation first."

"Or," Anakin said with a scowl and a roll of his eyes, "Sidious would have used our hesitance or refusal against us and tried to bring us up for treason for deciding not to defend the Republic. So essentially what you're saying is the Jedi were screwed no matter what they did."

"Maybe. But now that we can finally see all this, that might be something some of my allies in the Senate can help with in our investigation which makes it even more pivotal that I get back to Coruscant," Padmé said, the frustration evident in her tone. "You all can't go back to Coruscant right now, but that doesn't explain why I can't. So what is it that you aren't telling me? Because obviously, I play some role in this that you aren't explicitly telling me that would make me a target."

"You're just going to have to trust us on this one. Okay? It's better for you to be here," Ahsoka's alternate self said. "Besides making life easier for you, there's no point in going back to Coruscant. There's nothing we can do there."

"So Coruscant's out the question. What other options do we have?" Anakin asked.

"To go to Lothal and find the gateway to the world between worlds," the alternate Anakin said. "When I interrogated one of the Ghosts, it turns out that Sidious was very interested in the idea of time travel. Come to find out there's a place at an old Jedi Temple on Lothal that serves as a natural gateway to that place."

"Lothal," the alternate Ahsoka stated and then continued, "Didn't you find out that the Ghosts were interested in that place and go to intercept them a few years ago?"

"Yes. But by the time I got there, the temple had taken care of them for me, and I never found out why they were there. But now I have a theory that they were trying to gain access to the world between worlds and when they couldn't access it, they took alternative means using old Sith rituals at the Sith Temple on Malachor to try to access it but instead of creating a portal directly to it in order to go back in time…"

"They ripped right through it and ended up in an alternate timeline instead," the alternate Ahsoka said.

"I've never heard of either that temple or the world between worlds," Anakin said.

"You wouldn't have. By this time, while still under the maintenance of the Jedi, it's not a Temple site commonly used anymore, and mostly only the Council and higher ranking masters are aware of its existence. The world between worlds though is little more than just an old Jedi legend. But there are concepts for it in thousands of cultures, though. A reality that transcends time, space, and the physical world. A barrier that keeps the alternate worlds separate. Apparently, there was quite a bit of truth in those stories," the alternate Anakin explained.

"So you all think Sidious sent the Ghosts there or that the Ghosts are going there anyway?" Ahsoka asked.

The alternate Anakin shrugged. "I don't know. But it's worth figuring out how and if we can access it before Sidious inevitably does send someone there because if he figures out how to get to the world between worlds at all, we'll have a much bigger problem, and it won't just be your timeline in jeopardy."

"And there's not much else we can do but wait on Sidious to make a move on the political side of things, especially without someone on the inside to feed us information like Vader did," Ahsoka's other self said.

"Speaking of Vader… I know you said Sidious doesn't have him yet, but we aren't worried about Sidious jumping the gun and getting his hands on him a lot sooner and throwing a wrench in our plans?" Ahsoka asked.

The alternate Anakin said, "You don't have anything to worry about from him."

"Until he completely wipes out the Jedi Order," Anakin said sarcastically. "Which you two don't seem to have a huge problem with since now you're so buddy-buddy with him. We don't have to worry about him jumping through a rip between the timelines and coming here, do we?"

His alternate self fixed Anakin with a look that would have had most sentient beings cowering back in fear. But, of course, Anakin wasn't most sentient beings and fixed his other self with an identical look.

As much as Ahsoka agreed with her former master about how casual their alternate selves talked about Vader and as interesting as Ahsoka thought it might be to see both Anakin's from different times and circumstances go back and forth, her alternate obviously didn't share the sentiment and said, "There's a very specific set of circumstances that lead to Vader's fall. I made sure he was on a mission far from Coruscant before we left. He's a non-factor in this right now. So, we're going to Lothal. Right?"

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes just slightly at her other self for the quick change in subject. Not only was her other self casual about her acquaintance with a Sith Lord, but she was also… protective of him? There was something missing. Something that would bring some clarity to all this because one thing she knew about her master was that he was far from a very forgiving man. And while his other self was different in some ways, that hadn't seemed to have changed. If anything, he was more unforgiving. So how come Vader, no matter what he had done to help them save the galaxy eventually, wasn't dead and how come the alternate Anakin was okay with that?

"Which was my plan the whole time, but that you fought against," alternate Anakin said.

A look of irritation crossed her other self's face as she said, "Skyguy, it's not about the plan. It's the principal of the matter. The fact of the matter is we could have all agreed on something else. Just because you think it's best doesn't mean it is. We could have avoided so many messes if not for your stupid pride and trust issues."

"I could say the same about your brashness and indecisiveness."

"For how many years have you two been having this little lover's quarrel?" Ahsoka finally blurted out before she could think better of saying it; before she could think through how much more awkward things were about to be if she said anything. But frankly, this was starting to get ridiculous.

That made both time travelers pause and look at her, not shocked or even quite startled would be the way to describe it. More like they were trying to determine how to answer her. Padmé and Anakin, on the other hand… yeah. Shocked.

Well, she'd already put it out there. May as well.

"Were the two of you trying to keep it secret or something? Because if you were, you're about as subtle about it as these two are," Ahsoka said, nodding her head to Anakin and Padmé. "And your Force signatures around each other makes it even more obvious."

"It's…" the alternate Anakin began evenly with his arms crossed.

"Very…" the alternate Ahsoka continued before trailing off also.

"Complicated," they both finally said with an identical roll of blue eyes.

"We're actually married for the sake of technicality and political reasons in the Empire. But to answer your question we've been on and off…" her other self turned to look at her companion and asked, "Is there a word for it in basic?" When he didn't seem inclined to answer her, the alternate Ahsoka said, "I guess the closest translation for the word from Togruti would be lovers? But on and off lovers for a little more than a decade."

Ahsoka sensed that for whatever reason, Padmé was the only one amused by this exchange as she asked Ahsoka's other self with laughter in her tone, "Are you on or off right now?"

"Off since the last big argument a month ago after the Emperor's office managed to get the Senate on their side to veto an entire initiative that the Empress' office had been working on for months to officially sign into law over _one_ line," alternate Ahsoka said tersely.

"It was an _entire_ section and would have crippled the efforts in the Outer Rim. We've already got enough trouble keeping it in line."

"You didn't know that. It was hypothetical. A hypothetical that hadn't been run into when implemented on a small scale test trial on ten relevant systems."

"You don't know the scum clinging onto power out there despite being all but obliterated by the forces of the Imperial Army."

"And once again, you're missing the point about this. It's not the fact that you disagreed or even that the power lawfully invested in the office of the Emperor was used against us. It's that no one in the Empress' office knew that you all had reservations about it until the initiative got vetoed."

"Because I knew you wouldn't agree. So, why waste the effort?"

Rather than replying to that because this was obviously a debate they'd been having for a while now, her other self exhaled slowly and turned to leave the conference room while saying, "Let me know when we get to Lothal," before heading toward one of the small rooms on the ship to presumably rest.

Seeming unbothered by the entire situation, the alternate Anakin simply went back to the cockpit.

Yep, Ahsoka thought dryly to herself. So beyond weird.

* * *

**AN: **There was a time as a writer that I was loathe to put my characters into awkward situations. But nowadays, BRING ON THE AWKWARD SITUATIONS. Lol. I almost left that out as a revelation at the end of the story, but as Ahsoka says, our time traveling alternates weren't exactly subtle about it. And a couple of people actually caught it last chapter. Also, I got really far ahead in the writing of this so... yeah. I went ahead and posted another chapter since I've got three weeks worth of updates waiting and you all were like sure. Update more. Lol. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.


	11. Chapter 11

**11**

With a plan of action, a long journey ahead of them, and the revelation of their new time-traveling companion's relationship status out in the open, Padmé decided that it was time to take a long-deserved break. The last week and a half or so had been particularly tiring, but that was only in addition to the fatigue she had been feeling for weeks before their time traveling guests had a arrived.

Burnout. It happened to the best of people, even for someone as passionate about her work as she was. The wanting to sleep all day, not being able to focus on her work, general loneliness that came with not being able to unload the burden of her secret marriage on anyone because even before the revelation of a Sith being in the Senate, you could never be totally sure who was trustworthy. Ahsoka's, the older one's, commissioning her to more closely investigate the happenstances of the war had given her some renewed strength, but she was really overdue for a vacation.

Until then, though, a nap during their travels to Lothal sounded great. It would also give Ahsoka and Anakin some time to talk some things over because Force knew that it seemed everyone in this ship would be content to lose themselves in their mission to avoid difficult conversations.

Just as she was about to lie down, the door opened and Anakin, not hers but the alternate one, opened the door to the room.

"Sorry. I thought—Never mind," he said and turned to rush out the room.

"No. Wait," Padmé suddenly said, hoping that he would stop.

He did, though he didn't turn to face her. But now that she had his attention, she wasn't sure exactly what it was she wanted to say. She had to say something. And quickly, because she had a feeling that he wouldn't make the mistake of accidently being alone with her again otherwise.

"I know everything that's been happening is… awkward to say the least," she began, and that got a mirthless chuckle out of him. Feeling encouraged, she continued, "But I did want to say that I'm glad you were able to move on after I—the other me—died. It gives me hope."

He seemed to be debating whether or not to leave, and Padmé wouldn't have been surprised if he had. But he surprised her and turned back to look at her.

"Hope?"

"I try not to think about it," Padmé began, suddenly finding a lose string on the pallet very interesting as she avoided looking at him, "but I don't pretend not to know that both Ani and I are in dangerous lines of work. Even more dangerous than I ever thought knowing what you and your Ahsoka have told us. I know I might be killed one day. And I accept that, but I've always worried that Anakin would never be able to accept that and let me go if the time came and move on. That he could be happy again. Even with someone else."

"Could you?"

Padmé didn't have to ask for him to clarify. "I don't know. Maybe not. Maybe that's why I understand. Maybe that's why I fight so hard to end this war, so I don't have to find out but with Ani? He'd burn everything in his path to protect the ones he loves, even if in the process he accidently burns the one he's trying to protect. If he failed…" Padmé trailed off, not wanting to think about what would happen if he failed. She'd seen what happened on Tatooine when his mother died. Nothing would be safe from his rage and hate.

She finally looked directly at him and continued, "I'm glad Ahsoka was able to help you channel your feelings into something productive. Even though I have… mixed feelings about your Empire."

Even twenty years older, it seemed Anakin would always wear his heart on his sleeve because the conflict in this version of him was obvious in his expression.

Then he looked off to the side, anywhere but her face as he said, "It didn't happen overnight. For a while… for a long time I…"

"You did awful things when your Padmé died. While you were apprenticed to Sidious."

That made him turn sharply to look directly at her again. "How… How did you know?"

"Your Ahsoka's very good at telling the truth while omitting pertinent details and letting people come to their own conclusions. But not only are you a bad liar, I also know my Ani. I know…" Padmé trailed off again not wanting to admit to a truth that for far too long she had decided to turn a blind eye to.

Anakin Skywalker was a good man. She wouldn't have married him if she hadn't known that. He was a good man with a boundless capacity for love. But he was a broken man with so many anger, trust, and abandonment issues, so much hurt and misunderstandings with a stubborn unwillingness to talk about them with anyone, even her, without getting defensive.

They had such little precious time together, though. And while Padmé knew Anakin's problems would eventually have to be dealt with, she ignored them to focus on and savor the happy moments. She promised herself there would be time after the war to deal with those things, to struggle through the inevitable fallout of making Anakin face his demons so they could come through on the other side a happier couple. More open and honest with each other. Healed. But it seemed like waiting had cost her other self not just her life, but also plunged a galaxy into darkness and tyranny. Now, knowing this, Padmé would not continue to make such a naïve though well-intentioned mistake.

"I'm sorry," he finally said and before Padmé could reply he continued, "I know you're not my wife—my Padmé—and I don't deserve forgiveness for the things I've done no matter how many excuses people make for me. And no matter what I do, I'll never be able to make right the people I've hurt and whose lives I destroyed. But after you died, more than anything, I just wanted the chance to talk to you one more time and tell you that I'm sorry. That I never meant to hurt or disappoint you. This isn't the same, but I figure this is the Force's roundabout way of giving it to me."

In this moment he didn't sound like the older, hardened, obstinate man that had been arguing with his companion. Now he sounded like the sensitive young man that was too self-aware of his shortcomings and wanted so much to please and help people that she'd fallen in love with. That she was sure her other self had fallen in love with and still loved when she died.

"Forgiveness isn't mine to give you, but I'm sure my other self would have forgiven you if that makes you feel any better," Padme said.

He didn't reply, but Padmé somehow sensed that he wanted to argue with her about that. She wasn't going to let him, though. Instead, not feeling tired anymore and deciding to grasp the opportunity while she had it, she said, "It sounds like twenty years have given you more patience for and savvy in politics."

He snorted. "No. Not at all. I'm only good at getting what I want when the Empress is going to introduce an initiative that could potentially undermine the Imperial Army's and other executive force's power and ability under me to actually fight against those that would hinder the peace and freedom of the galaxy that's guaranteed in the constitution and more general laws of the Empire."

"Alright then," Padmé said with a grin as she patted the place next to her. "Tell me how you all's version of the Empire works, Ana—I'm sorry. Do you go by Anakin or are you more comfortable with…"

"It's Vader," he replied promptly. "That name carries the weight of the things I've done, no matter what the motive for them. And some days, a lot of days, despite Ahsoka's influence, I'm still that person. As many excuses that have been made for me and blind eyes turned against me, I won't take the name Anakin Skywalker like using it again absolves me of all my sins. That's a burden I'll carry the rest of my life. Just… I wouldn't ask you this if I didn't think it was necessary but…"

"Don't tell my husband right now. I know. I think right now it'll do more harm than good. Besides, all of us have the potential for evil," Padmé pointed out. "Now come on. Let's talk politics, Vader."

"This isn't uncomfortable for you. Talking to me."

"No. I've decided to think of you as… more a brother-in-law maybe. Like Anakin's older brother. It makes sense that way."

Vader didn't quite smile, but the corner of his lips definitely twitched upward in amusement as he sat next to her.

"Ahsoka would better be able to explain this than me, so if you don't understand something, ask her when she's done being angry at me for the day."

* * *

Even though they now had so many more answers, the answers had only given Anakin a lot more questions than he initially had. He had a feeling, though, that those answers would come in time. However, watching the exchange between the two time travelers made him understand why standing before the Council again hadn't bothered the alternate Ahsoka; why she found it so easy to talk him down when he had disagreed with her when they were trying to come up with a plan of action on Coruscant; the general nonchalant way she seemed to take everything in stride even faced with traveling to an alternate past. It was all easy compared to dealing with his alternate self on a daily basis, Anakin imagined.

Her generally muted, but not all the way muted now that he knew to look for it, Force presence had flared to life upon being confronted by her companion, her usual calm rattled, her expression and demeanor showing she was bracing herself for a fight. And he couldn't blame her with his alternate self's large and overwhelming presence, his power in the Force, his intimidating stature, dark and brooding expressions, his simmering anger that seemed to just barely be contained and with just the right push could explode over the edge. How while she didn't seem overly concerned about his behavior, she was clearly very aware of it, and it tried her patience until finally she just walked away from him.

Was this how people saw him? Was this how people felt around him?

"Is it always like that around me?" Anakin asked Ahsoka, _his _Ahsoka. The only one left in the conference room after the other Ahsoka and the other Anakin had both left in two different directions, and Padmé had gone to rest.

"You mean the constant feeling of being in awe over something amazing you did that only the Force would allow you to pull off? Yeah. It's always like that," Ahsoka replied.

"No. Not that. I mean… not just that. But am I…" Anakin trailed off very aware that insulting his other self, even accidently, was inadvertently insulting himself. "Am I that overbearing and…"

"Cocky? Overconfident?" Ahsoka suggested.

"I guess."

"No. He's _much _worse."

"But you're not saying that I'm not those things."

"No. I'm not," Ahsoka replied, but not as something that truly bothered her. More like it was something that just was. A truth that wasn't going to change.

"Is that why you left?" Anakin asked and immediately regretted doing so. He had gone over how he'd try to bring this up since the other Ahsoka explained that sometimes she didn't know where her Anakin ended and where she began because everything she did was so intertwined with him. But he didn't have the tact of Padmé and Obi-wan or even Ahsoka's other self, so it just came out. And maybe it had come out a little defensively.

Ahsoka paused for a long time before asking, "Why would I have left for you being you?"

"That's not what I mean," Anakin said, trying not to get frustrated with himself. When the other Ahsoka said it to him, it made perfect sense to him. Well, not perfect sense. It didn't make perfect sense until he'd encountered the overwhelming presence that was his other self. Finally, he said, "Would that have made it more difficult for you to figure things out? Because I would have been in the way?"

That made even less sense to him that when he first asked it, Anakin thought in hindsight. But realization seemed to dawn on Ahsoka's face, and Anakin felt her hesitance in the force, her gaze averting from him like she wanted to lie because it might be kinder. Ultimately though, like always, Ahsoka decided to go with the truth anyway.

"That wasn't all of it. Not even a majority of it. But… part of it," she admitted. Then she rushed and continued, "And before you find some way to blame yourself for all of this, when I say that I don't mean it really had anything to do with you. What I meant was that for a long time I always had you to fall back on, always had you to reassure me in everything. I knew the things that you would do, I knew the direction you would point me to, and if I didn't I knew I could ask, but I didn't know what I'd do without that reassurance and you to fall back on. That's what I meant. I wasn't trying to say I didn't want you in my life anymore or need you in some ways but because of that I had to leave. And… I'm sorry if I hurt you when I said it."

"I wasn't necessarily hurt by it," Anakin said. But that was a lie. He had been hurt. Hurt that she didn't even bother to try to contact him afterward and let him know she was okay. Angry at her for being selfish and only thinking about herself. Jealous that she was brave enough to do what she thought was best for herself despite the consequences while he was too coward to dare. But he was too ashamed to admit to all that. So instead, taking a tip from Ahsoka's other self he answered with something that was still the truth but a lot less painful to dredge up. "I thought you left because I failed you."

"You didn't fail me, Skyguy. The Council and the Order, maybe. But not you."

Anakin wanted to argue with her, but the genuine smile on her face made him decide not to, and he smiled back. Then he asked, "So did you have any success? With figuring things out?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "Not much. But I learned a lot, and I was learning to be okay with not knowing what to do with myself. It had only been seven months compared to a lifetime of being a Jedi or that's what I kept telling myself to not get frustrated anyway… until your other self showed up."

"How did you meet him anyway?"

"Three of those Ghosts attacked me, and he swooped in to save me. Once I got him to tell me what happened in the future, I was trying to figure out a way to convince him to take us to Coruscant to warn the Jedi before we got captured. Gotta say, Skyguy, your older self is even more draining to deal with than you. I didn't think it was possible for you to become more… you," Ahsoka said after a brief pause.

Anakin scoffed. "Me? Your other self has to be even more of a snippy brat than you are. Do you know when we were on our way to Coruscant, she just walked away from a conversation with me and Obi-wan like she owned the galaxy?"

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and then added, "Have to say though, you think you're good with a lightsaber now… your other self held back three lightsabers against his without even breaking a sweat."

"Right? Not to mention the tractor beam thing. And you should have seen the way your other self faced the council and argued circles around them to get exactly what she wanted from them and didn't falter once."

"You think you can get a recording of it from the Temple?"

"I'll see what I can do. Think my other self will show me what he exactly did with that tractor beam?"

Ahsoka gave him a skeptical look before saying, "I supposed you could try."

Yeah. Ahsoka was right on that one.

"Okay. Now that we're talking about it, meeting alternate older versions of ourselves isn't as awkward as I thought it would be," Anakin said.

"True. I'm starting to think of it as gaining an older sibling I didn't know existed. That's not totally weird. It even makes the whole married thing less awkward," Ahsoka said with her face tuned up, and Anakin knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Look, they don't seem eager to talk about it so… how about we just not talk about it either?" Anakin offered.

"Deal."

"By the way, how long exactly have you known about me and Padmé?"

Ahsoka smirked and said, "Skyguy, I figured that out in less than six months of being your padawan. Neither one of you are as discreet as you think you are, especially around me though you don't seem to notice."

"Yeah… I figured you knew when your older self confessed she knew," Anakin said in a resigned tone. But then smirked and said, "Bet you didn't know we're married, though."

That took Ahsoka off guard, and she stutters, "W-what? Since when?"

"Since the beginning of the war. A few months before you were dropped in my lap," Anakin says smugly.

Of course, Ahsoka thought to herself. Just when she started to think she had her former master figured out, he could still surprise her. Then she sighed and said, "Well, at least I still won a good chunk of the betting pool with the 501st."

"Betting pool?"

Ahsoka diverted her gaze, though a smile still played at her lips.

* * *

**AN: **Yep. Padmé figured out the alternate Anakin became Vader because why wouldn't she. Padme was one hell of an intelligent woman, despite the clusterfuck that was her marriage to Anakin even though it was clear they loved each other. The movies really gave her the short end of the stick. The Clone Wars series definitely fleshed her out more and her relationship with Anakin, both how much they really did love each other and how problematic it was being that the war and their respective jobs kept them from actually working on their relationship.

But I could talk about that all day. Anywho, hope you enjoyed. Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites.


	12. Chapter 12

**12**

Ahsoka discretely but closely watched her other self enter the cockpit, prompted out her isolation by them dropping out of hyperspace over Lothal. Despite her earlier annoyance with the alternate Anakin, she fell into place standing next to him at the back of the cockpit. The older Anakin then grabbed the other two lightsabers he'd brought with him off his belt and wordlessly handed them to her. She then put the weapons on the utility belt at her hips and stared out the cockpit to the planet below as her companion did the same.

Watching her other self get her lightsabers back made her touch the place where her own lightsabers now sat on her belt. Good as new. Maybe better, actually, her former master had said with a smile as she'd lit them and felt the familiar vibration and weight of the weapons, almost like she'd never been without them, to begin with. It felt good. And the Force warmed her in contentment at the fact that all was right now; like she was back where she was supposed to be.

She turned her attention back to the two time travelers.

The alternate Anakin she knew what to make of. He was just her Anakin multiplied by one hundred in intensity, and that was overwhelming and even scary sometimes, but not something she was totally unfamiliar with. However, it also seemed like the worst parts of him, the dark parts, had been amplified too. And though the alternate Anakin seemed to be reining that much more intense darkness in, when he lost momentary control of it, it hadn't really scared her. It worried her. Because that dark part almost completely swallowed and corrupted the light part. She had felt it back on Vjjil and on the secret Separatist battleship that had "captured" them shortly afterward.

Ahsoka had already asked him about it, but he'd been tightlipped, downright mean, and it had only triggered the unleashing of the darkness she felt in him. Thus if he wasn't going to give her the answers she wanted, the next best person to get them from was Ahsoka's alternate self. And that's where not knowing what to make of her became a problem. And nd because of that, _she_ actually intimidated Ahsoka.

While it seemed that as an adult they still shared the same taste in style and battle clothing, that was where the similarities seemed to end. At some point in the future, Ahsoka guessed that she hit another growth spurt because her other self was nearly just as tall as Anakin. Her facial markings, while not very different, were a little thicker and more pronounced and her montrals were taller and her lekku longer. But that wasn't even so different compared to how her future self carried herself. While she wasn't dark like Anakin's other self, she did have a no-nonsense air. A grim determination about herself. Always on guard and ready for a fight. The other Anakin had also called her "clever." But Ahsoka got the feeling he meant a lot more than the word conveyed. And something about her, though Ahsoka couldn't pinpoint what, gave Ahsoka the feeling her other self was used to being the most important person in the room even if her presence wasn't as larger than life as her companion.

All that combined meant that Ahsoka somehow felt even smaller around her other self and pretty loathe to approach her.

But Ahsoka was going to have to get over herself and talk to her if it meant finding out what happened in the alternate future that changed the alternate Anakin so much. Because if she didn't find that out, she wouldn't know if there was a risk of the same thing happening to the Anakin she knew. And if there was, how to stop it.

"Are you going to be alright in that temple. They aren't usually very kind to Force users like you," the other Ahsoka said in a low tone to her Anakin. A tone that if Ahsoka were human, she wouldn't have been able to hear from the distance.

"Tell me about it," the older Anakin grumbled as he raised a gloved hand to rub his chest.

"You don't have the suit with you, do you?" the other Ahsoka said as she placed her hand on top of his on his chest.

"Didn't exactly have time to run back to the ship and grab it. Besides, I could hardly wear it here. It's pretty much a dead giveaway."

"Maybe there's a purifier and oxygen tank on board that you can use before we—" the other Ahsoka paused as she was removing her hand from the other Anakin's chest. Then she turned her head and caught Ahsoka's gaze.

Ahsoka instantly whirled around, having been caught.

Fully aware that she could hear, the other Ahsoka said, "Right. I forgot I'm not the only togruta in the room."

"You of all people should know not to underestimate yourself," the other Anakin replied, sounding just a little fond.

"So I've been told," was her other self's response before the two time travelers were silent again.

No one said anything else until they landed, though Ahsoka got the distinct feeling that her other self was now watching her.

The plan, generally, was simple. Get in the temple; find out what they could about the world between worlds and any information on whether and how it could be accessed; take that information or hide it before the Sith or the Ghosts could arrive and get out before the rest of the Order caught on to the fact that they had been here. That last part had been at the alternate Anakin's insistence, which further urged Ahsoka to figure out a way to find out what happened to him. The Force was telling her that their future depended on it. And maybe it wasn't her responsibility, but who else would take up the challenge to find out and divert her master's future? Obi-wan wasn't here. Ahsoka got the feeling it would be dangerous for Padmé with her lack of Force strength though the human woman was certainly formidable in other ways. So that left her.

They'd wanted to leave Padmé behind again with Artoo. But as far as she was concerned, she had been dragged across the galaxy for reasons Ahsoka's alternate self wouldn't be forthcoming about, so she wasn't being left behind.

The time travelers exchanged a look before the alternate Ahsoka said, "At this point, she's probably the safest of all of us in Jedi Temple."

She didn't elaborate what she meant by that as she released the ramp to the ship and made her way down the ramp toward the Lothal Temple. Ahsoka figured this was what Anakin had meant when he talked about her other self walking away from conversations when she finished with them.

By the time they caught up to her, Ahsoka's other self was already standing in front of the temple that looked more like a large spiral rock.

"This place feels… unsettling," Padmé said.

"All Force temples are," the alternate Anakin said. "Jedi or Sith."

"It's more than that, though. The Force… feels weird here," Ahsoka said.

"Would you describe it as warped in a way?" Anakin asked.

Before Ahsoka could answer, her other self said, "It feels like it felt on Malachor during that ritual before we came here."

No one commented on what that might mean as Ahsoka said," So… how do we get in it?"

"A Jedi master and apprentice pair using the Force to lift the spiral," her other self said. "In other words, you and your master?"

"Us," both Ahsoka and Anakin said.

Then Ahsoka said, "I'm not a Jedi apprentice anymore."

"That's just technicalities," her other self said with a shrug and without looking at her, staring at the spiral rock in front of them instead.

"Then why can't you and him," Ahsoka said, pointing to Anakin's other self. "Surely it's just a technicality that you're a knight now. He still trained you. You stayed so he could finish training you. Seems like we've got a better chance with your technicality than ours."

"These temples have a type of sentience to them. Who knows how it'll react if it can tell that we're from another timeline?"

Ahsoka remembered Anakin telling her on the way to Lothal that nothing caught her other self off guard. But despite that, Ahsoka got the feeling that her other self was trying desperately to hide something and that if she and the alternate Anakin tried to lift that spiral, it would be revealed. Possibly something to do with the darkness she sensed in the alternate Anakin before.

Figuring now wasn't the time to call her out on that, Ahsoka said, "I'm sure there's some other way to use the Force to get in."

"Trust me. You don't want to know what happens when you try to use alternative means to get in these kinds of places," her other self said. "Go ahead. It'll be fine."

Ahsoka felt Anakin's hand on her shoulder behind her and turned to look at him.

"What do you say, Snips?"

She wanted to say she was no longer a Jedi. But what the hell. She nodded as they both turned to face the spiral.

Ahsoka inhaled and exhaled deeply as she reached out her hand, closed her eyes, and concentrated. She hadn't reached into the Force like this in a while beyond some light meditation. But once a Force user learned how to touch and use the Force, it was always part of them. She felt her master's vibrant Force signature expand beside her, intertwine with hers as together they worked to lift the spiral.

Up, up, and up it twisted until finally it stopped and revealed a door.

"See," the other Ahsoka said as she started walking towards the entrance. "Told you it would work."

Ahsoka wished she had her other self's confidence.

They all made their way into the temple, the entrance of which was only a round dark room. The warped feeling was still there, but even that couldn't distort the distinct warning in the Force. Something telling them to turn back like they weren't welcome here.

"Don't say it," the other Anakin said about half a second before her master said, "I have a bad feeling about this."

No sooner than the words had left his mouth, their exit sealed behind them, trapping them in the room, and then an invisible force knocked them away from each other.

"Padmé," Ahsoka heard Anakin yell before walls suddenly came down from the ceiling and separated them all before they could do anything.

"Of course in a temple that used to be used to test the bonds of master and apprentice, they'd trap the apprentices with each other."

Ahsoka turned to look at her other self who was curiously looking at the wall in front of her. Or, rather, where the wall had been as now there were a bunch of steps leading down somewhere.

"Where do you think it goes?" Ahsoka asked her.

"I don't know. But I don't think we have any choice but to follow it."

Without waiting for her approval, her other self started down the steps. With none of their human companions with them, there was no need to use their lightsabers for light in the dark tunnels, hunters that their species were.

As they made their way down, Ahsoka realized this was the opportunity she'd been looking for to confront her other self. Trapped with the older togruta down here, she didn't have to go out of her way to find her or worry about disturbing her. Yet, she still found herself hesitant.

"If you have something you wish to ask me without our masters and Padmé around, now's the time to do so," her other self said.

"How do you know there's something I want to ask?"

She smiled a little as she said, "While others tended to perceive me as brash and overconfident at your age, I think they would have been surprised by how much fear and uncertainty I harbored. That said, I could be misreading you considering you were brave enough to leave the Order."

"But you were brave enough to stay."

Her older self paused before humming a little and saying, "I never thought of it that way. I guess it's true that sentient beings tend to be their own worst critics. Either way, I can tell you want to ask me something—a lot of things—but you're afraid to."

"I'm not afraid," Ahsoka lied.

"I'd be worried if you weren't."

Somehow, that gave Ahsoka even more pause about all this, confirming her suspicion that what happened in her other self's future was a lot graver than what she made it out to be.

"So you and your Anakin," Ahsoka began, deciding to go the roundabout route with getting to the question that she really wanted to ask. "How exactly do you two end up a couple?"

Her other self shrugged. "You think the Clone Wars was—is—bad? Fighting to take down the Emperor was worse, even though we managed to pull it off a lot quicker than we would have without Vader's help. You tend to take comfort where you can get it. Besides it just… ended up making a lot of sense."

Ahsoka felt yet again unnerved by her other self as she spoke in such a matter-of-fact way about something that seemed like such a big deal. Not only was her expression calm and unbothered, but her lekku didn't so much as twitch to betray what she was feeling or betray that she was probably lying by omission, though she'd given Ahsoka an answer. While Ahsoka couldn't get a good reading on the woman, her older self seemed to be able to read her younger self so well. And she proved that with her next statement.

"I'm sure it doesn't make a lot of sense to you. But if you think about it, my love for my Anakin is the same as the one you have for yours," her older self said.

"_Except_ that you ended up marrying yours, and I see mine as an older brother," Ahsoka said, even though objectively speaking she could admit that her master was very handsome by human standards. Even by togruta standards.

"Our eventual marriage was for purely political purposes. Neither of us had anything to personally gain from it, and it had nothing to do with love for each other. That said, maybe the expression of our love is different but not the essence of it. I once expressed my love for him the same way you did. Felt it the way you did. Circumstances changed that."

Ahsoka had more questions about that. As much as she couldn't even fathom seeing her Anakin the way her alternate self saw hers, she couldn't help having some curiosity about it. However, her other self's comment about circumstance and change was the perfect segue into what she really wanted and needed to know.

"What happened to your Anakin?"

Her other self didn't falter in her steps, but the woman pressed her lips together and looked ahead of her again.

"You would ask about that," she finally said. "And something tells me it's not really about my Skyguy."

"He's changed. A lot. If he's anything like mine, he's always had more darkness in him than others, even seemed to gravitate more towards it. But yours, I'm not sure because he hides his Force signature so well, but… he feels like he's been immersed in it. In darkness, pain, grief, hate. So what happened to cause that?"

"Sounds to me like you have an idea."

"I… not really."

Ahsoka was pretty sure her other self didn't believe her, but she said anyway, "Then I don't think you're prepared for the answer."

It was something similar to what Anakin's other self told her. To not ask questions that she didn't want to know the answer to. Because if she were really ready for the answer, she wouldn't be asking the question. She'd be asking for confirmation.

And she could ask for confirmation. She did have an idea, but it was so absurd. Such an impossibility… Then again, a few days ago the Sith already being pretty much in charge of the Republic and the Jedi being wiped out seemed like an impossibility too.

"Then how can I help my Anakin?"

"I can't tell you how to help him if you're in denial about what he needs help with," her other self pointed out. "Besides, if we can stop the Sith Master before things really get out of control, it won't be anything that you need to worry about."

The Force whispered to Ahsoka that wasn't exactly true. Before Ahsoka could push for an answer, the stairway opened to a large dark cavern.

"Be careful," her other self warned. "Jedi and Sith temples are known for inducing Force visions or outright hallucinations in Force users."

Ahsoka already knew that. But as she walked off the steps and into the cavern, she muttered, "I'll keep it in mind."

A wind behind her made her pause and turn to look for her other self only to find that the other togruta was no longer there and neither was the stairway. The only way to go was forward.

She slowly walked forward on alert for anything hidden in the shadows with one of her recently returned lightsabers lighting the way because the darkness was so pervasive she didn't feel she could trust her eyes without it.

A dark, chilling, and dangerous feeling suddenly settled in the cavern, making Ahsoka pause. It felt like the older alternate Anakin, but without his tenuous restraint. Fully unleashed like this, the full brunt of the onslaught of intense suffering, pain, grief, hate and rage in the Force overwhelmed and choked all her senses and instincts.

Nearly swept off her feet by the onslaught, it took Ahsoka a few moments to get her bearings straight. And by the time she did, she became aware of a noise that seemed to be coming from all around her at once. A sound that her senses told her had been there for a while, but that she hadn't noticed until now.

Taking her other lightsaber off her belt, she slowly turned about the room and said, "Who's there?"

The sound got louder, sounding like breathing but mechanical like Grievous' voice did.

The hiss of a lightsaber igniting made her turn around to face a towering black figure wearing a black leather bodysuit, cape, armor, and black mask and helmet. She reached out to touch him with her senses and found that his very presence was a black void of the anguished darkness that had filled the room.

"Who are you?" she demanded

One. Two mechanical breaths before the figure spoke in a deeply modulated voice.

"Your destiny."

"Destiny," Ahsoka repeated. "How would you know that?"

The black figure didn't answer, but suddenly an answer came to her. Based off what little she knew about her alternate future self and the future she'd come from.

"You're Darth Vader."

"Your instincts serve you well, Jedi," Darth Vader said as he began to circle her as though she were his prey.

"I'm no Jedi."

"And yet, it's the way you desperately cling to their false dogma that blinds you to the truth."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ahsoka snarled through her teeth even as her mind laid out all the pieces that she'd already been given.

The two time travelers' unwillingness to talk about Darth Vader. The fact that they had both been with the Sith Lord on Malachor, and yet he was suspiciously absent. The alternate Anakin having Vader's red blade. His refusal to go back to Coruscant while the Jedi Council was there. The barely contained darkness of his Force presence with only a flicker of light remaining in it. His refusal to answer her when she asked what happened to him. The way her other self insisted she and Anakin get them entry into the Jedi temple. And before that, the alternate Ahsoka asking if her companion would be safe in the temple at all.

"_Don't ask questions that you don't want to hear the answer to,_ padawan_."_

"_Then I don't think you're prepared for the answer."_

"No," Ahsoka whispered more to herself than to the black despot that was Vader in front of her. That answer she came up with was impossible.

"Then I will show you the truth which you deny."

Ahsoka felt a warning in the Force, and she began to raise her lightsabers in preparation to defend herself only for Darth Vader to suddenly raise his hand before she felt the full brunt of his abilities attack her mental shields. Not to get anything out but to force something in.

She closed her eyes and dropped her lightsabers as her hands flew to her head to stop the pain of the visions being forced on her. Anakin bowing down to the Sith Lord. Leading clones in an attack on the Jedi Temple. A fire planet. Him hurting Padmé. Him and Obi-wan dueling. Him losing the duel, being dismembered and burnt and put into the ominous black suit. And finally, herself confronting him.

"_I won't leave you. Not this time."_

"_Then you will die."_

"No," she screamed as she was pulled out the vision.

"Now, do you see the truth. Now, do you see your destiny?" Vader—Skyguy? Master? Anakin?—said from above her, making her realize she was on the ground. On her hands and knees.

"No. That's wrong. That _can't _be right," Ahsoka whispered as she forced herself to stand, even as the Force screamed the truth of the matter she continued to deny.

"Then your refusal to see the truth shall be your downfall," Vader said as he raised his red lightsaber. The same one the alternate Anakin—Vader? No—had been using.

She summoned her lightsabers just in time to deflect the blade.

* * *

**AN: **I really forgot how fun writing fanfics were. Not to mention time-consuming... Already what I've written so far of this story is a full-length novel. Then there's the story of the alternate universe that I've been getting requests for and that's going to be such a massive undertaking I'm not even making promises for when I'll write that. Then this weekend, I finally went back and reread my old fanfics and... I was quite pleasantly surprised. For a twenty-year-old who barely had any life experience, I had a fair understanding of people and the nuances of sticky situations back then. I also had a very scary understanding of the characters and personalities in the Star Wars universe. And some of the ideas I had back then were even confirmed in canon in some way. I was especially surprised by my old Dark Ahsoka series. There really aren't enough of those stories on the web. And I may or may not be thinking about going back and revamping that entire series... Maybe. We'll see. Or I might just continue to focus my energy on new stories. It depends on where my muses take me.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Keep the reviews, favorites, and follows coming. Next chapter we get to see the two Anakin's forced to be alone in the same space as each other. And... things definitely get interesting.


	13. Chapter 13

**13**

As one of the few non-Force beings in the galaxy with a close relationship and privy to some of the inner workings of the Jedi Order, Padmé supposed she should have expected it to only be a matter of time before something like being trapped in a Jedi Temple would happen. What she hadn't expected was to be trapped in said Jedi Temple by herself, away from her Jedi companions and one Sith companion.

That said, she supposed she should have expected that too. A common thread through all of Anakin's, Obi-wan's, and Ahsoka's grand tales of adventures was that the Force always found a way to force a Jedi in particular to confront issues that they habitually denied or turned a blind eye to. And Padmé got the feeling that her Force user companions were about to be confronted with the truth that she'd long put together and confirmed on the ship. And she'd do everything in her power to make sure Anakin didn't fall like Vader had and that the Empire would never rise, even though it seemed like Vader, Ahsoka, and their allies had made the best out of an awful situation.

A wall had opened up behind into a well-lit yellow-stone hallway, and she'd followed it until she ended up in a well-lit cavern with various paintings drawn in the wall with a stone bench. It was probably uncomfortable, but she supposed all she could do was wait on her other companions. Besides, it would give her the time to go over all the documents Bail had managed to send over once they were out of hyperspace.

Quite frankly, though, Padme wasn't sure where to start. She'd have to ask Ahsoka, the older one, when they got out of here. She seemed to have an idea what to look for, what thread to pull on that would untangle the knot of information they had and lead to the evidence needed to win the war without playing into the Sith's hand.

A giggle caught Padmé's attention, and she looked up to see a wisp of brown hair disappear from view around the corner.

"Hello?" she asked hesitantly.

Another giggle. More than one actually. Children, it sounded like.

"You can come out," Padmé said, sitting her datapad down and leaning forward to beckon the children to come to her.

A boy peeked around the corner first, with messy blonde hair and blue eyes.

"I won't hurt you," Padmé said though she didn't get the feeling that the child thought that as he looked at her with bright, mischievous eyes.

He leaned back around the corner, to whisper to his companion Padmé assumed, and then he stepped out the hall. A girl with brown hair and brown eyes followed.

"Hello," Padmé said kindly despite her confusion. "How did you two get here?"

The two looked at each other, and the boy said, "Don't be silly. You brought us here with you."

"Brought you here? I didn't bring you here. I came here with the Jedi."

The girl rolled her eyes in a way that was so familiar to Padmé but that she couldn't quite place. Rather than saying anything more, though, both children came to stand on either side of her and grabbed a hand.

"Come on!"

Not asking questions about it and somehow sensing that the children, wherever they came from, meant no harm, she put her datapad back in a pocket of her outfit and stood to let the children lead her into the hall only they didn't walk into a hall. Somehow, they'd stepped into beautiful green grassy fields that Padmé immediately recognized as her family's Varykino Island retreat.

"What are you two doing out here?" asked Ahsoka's voice from behind them.

The two hands let go of Padmé's and ran toward the voice while Padmé spun around, instinctively knowing that this wasn't the real Ahsoka but rather a vision of her. A vision of the alternate one.

"Looking for our birth mother in the flowers. You said she's everywhere around here. So we decided to look," the girl said.

Ahsoka laughed and said, "I didn't mean that so literally, little one."

"Then what did you mean, mama?" the boy asked.

"How about I explain it inside over dinner?"

"Okay," they both chorused grabbing one of Ahsoka's hands each and allowing her to lead them back into the house.

"Was our mother really the most beautiful woman in the galaxy? Even prettier than you?" the boy asked, causing Ahsoka to laugh again.

Padmé didn't get to hear the answer as their figures retreated and the fields faded away until she was back in the lit cavern of the temple. But she hadn't needed to hear anymore as something clicked in her mind.

_Vader's son is close to Obi-wan._

_Don't be silly. You brought us here with you._

"Oh."

With a gasp, her hands flew to her lower abdomen and some way, somehow, she felt the two tiny sparks of light growing within her. She had brought the children here with her. And suddenly, the alternate Ahsoka's seemingly unreasonable protectiveness of her and desire to keep Padmé close, and as far away from Coruscant, the Jedi, and the Sith Lord made sense.

* * *

As the walls fell around them, Anakin tried to lunge in Padmé's direction so they wouldn't get separated. He only succeeded in colliding into the wall and subsequently pounded his mechanical hand against it.

"Kriff," he muttered, and then the thought crossed his mind to try to use his lightsaber to cut through the rock.

"It's not going to work."

Anakin resisted the urge to sigh. Of all the people to be trapped with, it just had to be his alternate self.

"What's not going to work?" he asked, trying and failing to keep his irritation in check.

"Your lightsaber on that wall. Padmé will be fine. At this point, it's probably safer here for her than it is for us."

"Why would that be the case?" Anakin asked, lighting his lightsaber anyway for some desperately needed light.

"You'll find out soon enough," his other self said dismissively. "In the meantime, we should probably go that way."

His alternate self pointed to a stairway that must have appeared after the walls came crashing down around them. There was no telling where it probably led, but it seemed they had little choice in the matter.

For them to have more light in the stairway, his alternate self too lit his lightsaber, illuminating their way with bright red that clashed against Anakin's blue. The red was a stark reminder that this version of him had conspired with a Sith. The Sith that was part of the reason for the obliteration of the Jedi and the fall of the Republic. For some reason, he hadn't been as bothered by it when the alternate Ahsoka mentioned it. Maybe because that had been her choice. But knowing that a version of himself didn't seem to have a problem with it meant that it was also his choice.

"Don't be so hasty in your ill-informed judgments," his alternate self suddenly said.

Anakin didn't think he'd been thinking that loud. But his future alternate self was apparently so powerful that he could interfere with technology from a distance with his power, so it wasn't a stretch to assume he could pick up stray thoughts even through his mental shields.

"I just find it hard to believe that my future self would be so buddy-buddy with the Sith. So much so he's comfortable using that Sith's lightsaber," Anakin said scornfully.

"And I find it equally as hard to believe that I was ever so weak-minded and naïve at this age in the past," his other self shot back.

"I'm not weak-minded or naïve."

His other self scoffed. "If you weren't, we wouldn't be having this conversation. It's either that or your desperate need for acceptance and recognition by the Order has you in blatant, blinding denial."

"Even if any of that was true," Anakin said, choosing to ignore the whisper in the back of his head telling him that there was some truth in the older man's statements, "that has nothing to do with the fact that you chose to conspire with the Sith Lord that killed the Jedi instead of putting him out of his misery like you should have. Like _I_ would have."

"Is that so?" his other self asked in an even tone. "Tell me something, _Skywalker_. Would you be saying the same thing if it were someone close to you that was the Sith Lord? Padmé, maybe?"

"Padmé's not a Sith Lord."

"But if she was, would you be as quick to put her out her misery? If she pulled you aside today and told you that she was the Sith Lord. That she orchestrated the war with the intention of destroying the Jedi and turning the Republic into her empire with the galaxy at her every whim, would you be so quick to kill her?"

Something chilling and dangerous had settled in the air. And without realizing it, both he and his older self had stopped walking to face each other in the stairway.

Anakin had too much pride to give his other self the satisfaction of him backing down, but even as out there and impossible as the idea of Padmé—his kind, gentle, and good angel—being a Sith Lord was, even the thought of striking her down if there was any way for that to be true made his entire body revolt in terror at the idea. More than the terror at the absurd idea of her being the Sith Lord at all.

His lack of an answer was answer enough for his other self.

"That's what I thought," his other self said smugly. "So before you go thinking that there's no way you wouldn't ally with a Sith, just remember that the only difference between you and I is that while you're in naïve denial about it, I've long accepted the truth about who and what I am, the choices I make, and the consequences of it. My eyes have been opened while you let your naïve beliefs blind you to the truth, _Jedi._"

The Force was whispering something to him, a truth about his other self, the alternate Ahsoka, and the mysterious Vader that now Anakin wasn't sure he wanted to know anymore.

With that last word, mockingly calling him a Jedi, his other self spared Anakin his pride by breaking their gaze and continuing down the steps. Anakin silently followed, and two said nothing else to each other though Anakin was aware that the dark, ominous chill in the air hadn't subsided. And it was emanating from his other self.

Finally, the stairs opened up to a dark cavern, and no sooner than Anakin entered it did he begin to hear the whispers around him.

"Do you hear that?" Anakin asked.

"Yes," his other self replied in a grave tone.

Though unintelligible, Anakin got the sense that the whispers were hostile. And eventually, they got louder.

_Jedi killer._

_Sith._

_You're not welcome here._

_You're no Jedi._

"What are they talking about?"

Before his other self could answer, another of the voices said, _Today is your reckoning._

"Reckoning for what?"

_Show him._

"Show who what?" Anakin demanded in irritation at the same time that his other self said, "No," and he realized that the voices were talking to them both.

_Show him what you become._

"No,"

_Show him what he becomes._

"No."

_Then we will force you._

"NO," his other self roared, and Anakin turned to round on the man only to stagger at the sudden power of the dark side that permeated the room. Fear, rage, hate, grief, all coming together to form a mass void of darkness. And then came the mental images, visions, and feelings that tore away at his shields and forced him to see.

Leading clones in an attack on the Jedi Temple. A fire planet. Hurting Padmé. Him dueling Obi-wan. Him losing the duel, being dismembered and burnt. Padmé dying. A mechanical looking moon. A planet exploding. Him reigning general terror on the galaxy.

"_Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth Vader."_

"_Thank you, my master."_

The final image that assaulted him was of himself being trapped and replaced by the image of a tall figure clad in black armor and a terrifying black mask and helmet before chilling mechanical breathing filled the air.

"No," Anakin growled as he came out the vision.

_See what you become? See what he already is?_

That made Anakin turn to look at his alternate self who was warily looking at him, appearing to have brushed off the repercussions of their forced vision.

"You," he growled while lighting his lightsaber. And before his other self could say anything in response, Anakin raised his saber to strike him down.

His blue blade met not the red blade he'd been expecting, but two crossed blue blades.

"Ahsoka," he managed through his shock, disbelief, rage, _everything_.

"Anakin," she said seeming just as surprised.

That was something to deal with later though, Anakin decided as they both lowered their blades from each other.

"Stay out the way," he said, glaring at his other self over her shoulder.

Ahsoka turned to follow his gaze, and he gently—maybe not so gently—pushed her out the way and stalked towards him with every intention of cutting him down.

"Wait," Ahsoka said. "Master. Stop."

It was futile though, and Anakin raised his blade to strike his alternate self—only to find himself stayed by a powerful, invisible force. The dark, ominous chill returned tenfold, coupled with a black void of anger, pain, hate, and every other dark emotion that Anakin had been warned led to the dark side. Warnings he'd thought were benign and only because of the Jedi's fear of emotion.

Now, looking at what his other self had become because of it, he knew better.

"I'd think this through one more time," his other self said with a cruel smile, his arm slightly raised at his side and his hand clenched into a fist. "It's not going to go the way you think it will."

Anakin felt a force pry his hand open, and his lightsaber clattered to the ground while his arm was forced down at his side.

"Stop it," Ahsoka shouted from behind him, and then she was grabbing onto his other self's arm in an effort to shake his concentration but to no avail.

"Let him go," Anakin registered the alternate Ahsoka saying calmly as she walked to stand next to them. When her companion did nothing, she added firmly, "_Vader_."

The force that was holding Anakin suddenly alleviated. He would have fallen to the floor if not for Ahsoka catching him.

"You okay?" she asked shakily.

Anakin was going to say yes. Because physically, besides aching a little from the force of his other self's—Vader's—hold on him, he was fine. But despite his intentions instead, as he looked up at his other self, knowing the truth about him, about his future, about how the terrible future that their alternate companions described came to pass, he growled, "No."

He was far from okay.

Despite the fact that he was glaring at his older self, Vader's attention was on the older Ahsoka who, rather than being properly stunned and horrified like Anakin and Ahsoka were, had that longsuffering look on her face like she'd had when she argued with her companion on the way here.

"You're always ruining my fun, Ahsoka," Vader said.

* * *

**AN: **Let me get out of here before y'all send a mob after me for this cliffhanger. I might be inclined to update Saturday night or some time Sunday rather than Tuesday depending on the response though...

Hope you enjoyed. Keep the reviews, favorites, and follows coming. *Runs away*


	14. Chapter 14

**14**

Anakin's emotions were an overwhelming storm at Vader's response to the future Ahsoka. Disbelief that he was taking all this so lightly. Horror that he wasn't trying to deny what Anakin had seen as a trick or hallucination concocted by the Temple in an effort to scare him. Grief, sadness, betrayal, hate, and a bunch of other emotions that Anakin could put no name to. Didn't know what to do with. So he grasped at the one he was most familiar with, that consumed all others.

Rage.

"Fun," Anakin growled, standing on his own two feet. Despite his best judgment, he began to stalk back towards Vader. "You think this is a game?"

"You really want to do this again?" Vader asked as his right hand began to curl into a fist.

Anakin wasn't bothered. He was ready for it this time. Vader wouldn't catch him off guard again.

"Vader," the alternate Ahsoka warned again, this time stepping between the two and angling herself toward Vader. Anakin wasn't sure who she was trying to protect, nor did he care in his single-minded determination to get to her companion.

Vader's hand loosened. "I didn't plan on really hurting him. Padmé wouldn't have liked that. But he was being unreasonable."

"Don't you, of all people, dare say her name," Anakin spat.

"See?" Vader said pointedly.

Anakin made another step towards him only for a debilitating headache to overcome him and make him stumble.

"That doesn't look like you didn't hurt him," Ahsoka said as she caught him once again.

"It's psychic backlash from our forced vision. He'll be fine," Vader assured.

No. Anakin didn't think he'd ever be fine again. But he didn't want to think about that and continued to focus on the rage.

"Anakin, stop that," Ahsoka said from next to him in a quiet, shaky voice that wasn't like her.

Waves of worry and terror were coming off Ahsoka through a bond that had for months lay mostly dormant though unbroken. He first assumed the feelings were because of Vader. But when he allowed his rage to increase at the thought, and the worry and terror from her increased, he figured out it wasn't directed at Vader. It was directed at him.

He stood up on his own and turned to look at her, knowing somehow it was something the temple had shown her that was making her react like this. And then he remembered what the temple whispered to them earlier.

_Show him what he becomes._

Before he could fully allow himself to process what that meant, a loud explosion shook the temple causing all of them to stumble.

"What was that?" Anakin asked. He'd deal with Ahsoka later.

"What happens when you try to get into this temple by alternative means is what," the alternate Ahsoka said as another explosion rocked the temple. "Alright. Looks like we've overstayed our welcome. We'll sort out our disagreements later."

"This is far more than a disagreement," Anakin growled darkly.

"It probably is. But whatever it is, it's better suited to have outside the temple and away from the Ghosts trying to break in. I'll even let you take another crack at Vader if you want."

She didn't wait for anyone to agree on that as she made her way to an entrance in the wall that Anakin knew for a fact wasn't there before. With no choice, they followed her out the cavern and into a hall that began to slope upwards and lightened up the higher they got until they arrived in another cavern but well-lit where Padmé was standing staring at the wall in front of her.

"Padmé," Anakin said, going to her. She turned to face him, looking a little stunned but no worse for wear. Still, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"I—" Padmé was cut off by the sound of explosions shaking the temple again.

"She's fine. Let's go," the alternate Ahsoka said, already making her way to an exit to the temple that had opened up with Vader trailing behind her.

Outside, they were met with not just the Ghosts, but an entire Separatist fleet seeking to secure the temple. Without backup, it was a fight Anakin knew they couldn't win. Their only option was to get to the ship and off this planet, but…

"The temple," Ahsoka said just as he was thinking it.

While they might not have been able to find the way to the world between worlds, that didn't mean that if the Separatists took it over that the Sith Master wouldn't be able to find it.

"Vader," the alternate Ahsoka said, and Vader nodded, pulling his hood over his head.

"Get to the ship," he said. "I'll take care of the temple."

Anakin wasn't sure what Vader meant by "take care of the temple" but knew they didn't have the time to argue as the Separatists were descending upon the temple. They weren't even halfway to the ship when Anakin felt the destructive fire of the dark side in Force as the ground began to shake. Unable to help his curiosity, he looked back to Vader, who had his arms outstretched, his Force signature nearly completely dark as with his power, he forced the temple to collapse.

"Come on," the alternate Ahsoka said pulling him the rest of the way to the ship where Padmé and Ahsoka already were.

Vader's power had lessened by the time they got on the ship and through the window, and Anakin saw that he was no longer actively bringing the temple down. But with the damage he'd done with his dark powers, it was doomed to continue collapsing in on itself. There was something final about the destruction. Like Vader had made sure with his destructive power that no one would be able to salvage anything from the temple to find the secrets within for a very long time. At the very least, not in any of their lifetimes for sure. Whatever Sidious wanted from it, he wasn't going to get.

"He's not going to make it to the ship," the alternate Ahsoka said from behind him. "We have to go get him."

Anakin carefully steered the ship to where Vader was turning and walking—walking!—toward them. He hovered it just a few feet from where the Sith was, and Ahsoka's other self rushed out the cockpit, presumably toward the ramp to help Vader onboard. A few moments later, he heard her shout to get them out of there before the Separatist blockaded the planet.

Anakin hadn't needed her instruction to do so.

* * *

"The Council wants us back on Coruscant," Anakin said flatly.

They'd dropped out of hyperspace in some empty space to figure out where they were going next, and a message from the Council had been waiting on for them. Anakin immediately comm'd them back and learned that Yoda had sensed the disturbance in the force that was the result of the destruction of the temple on Lothal along with a spike in the dark side. He tried to be as vague as possible, relaying that they accomplished their objective to retrieve Ahsoka but had to make a detour before returning to Coruscant, and they'd run into trouble. The Council hadn't been pleased and demanded their return. And that was without telling them that they'd picked up another time traveler. His alternate self who'd fallen to the dark side. Vader.

Anakin didn't even want to think about how the Council would react if they found that out. They already didn't trust him as it was.

"Ask Padmé if we can go to her family retreat on Naboo," the alternate Ahsoka said softly from where she stood watching over an unconscious Vader with an oxygen mask on his face.

She'd curtly explained while helping him back onto the ship that he had an old lung injury from just after the rise of the Empire that flared up when he overexerted himself too much. Normally, it wasn't that big of a deal as he had a support suit, the black mask he'd seen in his vision Anakin assumed, that he used in combat. But without it, the last few days and the debris from the temple had taken a toll on him.

"Naboo is way out of the way of Coruscant from here," Anakin pointed out.

"That's the point. He can't go back to Coruscant. Not like this. Between his injury flaring up and the psychic backlash from being forced to share his visions with you at the temple, not only will the Sith Master sense him as soon as he's planet-side, but so will the Jedi," she said without looking at Anakin. "And don't pretend like you're particularly eager to go back there either. You've had no problem disobeying the Council before. You can do it this time."

This Ahsoka had once described the relationship Vader had with the Jedi in their timeline as tenuous, but Anakin wondered just how much she might have downplayed it. Because while she didn't seem to have much a problem with the Jedi herself, she seemed to have a healthy caution of them when it came to Vader. Anakin could tell that without sensing her emotions in the Force. And he wondered how much of that had less to do with what Vader might do to the Jedi and more to do with what the Jedi might try to do to Vader. Anakin couldn't say he'd even necessarily blame the Order. He wasn't even sure what to make of Vader and the alternate Ahsoka's obvious protective streak when it came to the man—his alternate self.

With those thoughts circling through his head, he asked quietly, "How are you okay? After…"

Anakin didn't need to be specific. He imagined as clever as he was beginning to really understand the woman was she could fill in the blanks.

For a long time, she didn't answer. So long that Anakin thought she wasn't going to bother. But, finally, she said, "There was no image or vision that could have been shown to me on Lothal, especially about Vader, that I didn't already know and haven't already accepted the truth of. He's certainly a Sith. And he certainly gets a kick out of being ruthless and doing dark deeds, but I've chosen to be the one who makes sure he doesn't lose all sight of the light. To at least do his dark deeds in the service of good."

Anakin still had a hard time wrapping his head around it. How could she, a Jedi, one whose Force signature he knew was pure light because he'd seen it, find any way to make the dark side serve good?

"You don't have to understand it," she continued as though reading his mind. "You don't have to accept it. But complicated and messy as our history together may be, he's the only friend I truly have left. I make no apologies for that. Surely that's something you can sympathize with. Now, are you going to take us to Naboo, or am I going to have to take over this ship and get us there myself? One way or another, that's where we're going."

After years of dealing with his alternate, older, Sith lord self, Anakin didn't doubt that this Ahsoka could overpower him and take the ship wherever she wanted to go. Besides, she was right. He wasn't eager to go back to Coruscant.

He mapped their coordinates to Naboo without even bothering to ask Padmé, knowing she wouldn't object, and once they were in hyperspace went to find Padmé, who was resting in the only other open room on the ship. When she saw him enter, she sat up and asked, "Is Ahsoka okay?"

"Which one?"

"Right," Padmé said. "Both. I suppose."

"Our Ahsoka's in one of the other rooms. Says the temple took a lot out of her," Anakin replied. He didn't think he needed to say that she was avoiding him. "The other Ahsoka is with… my other self," he finally said in a flat tone trying to control his rage, loathe to call the Sith Lord that.

"Vader," Padmé said softly.

"How did you know?" Anakin asked her, not really caring when or where she found out. He should have known.

Padmé shrugged. "It was the only thing that made sense."

"How can you… How can you be okay with that? He becomes… _I _become," he finally admitted.

"No," Padmé said firmly. "You don't become that. You don't have to become Vader. You don't have to make the same mistakes he did."

"And how do you know that?" Anakin demanded as he gave up on trying to control his temper. "You didn't see what I did. What I'm going to do."

"Ani, don't do this. Don't shut me out because it's easier to be angry."

"I'm not shutting you out."

"Yes. You are. And while you don't have to become Vader, reacting like this to things you don't like and that make you uncomfortable is what could take you down that path," Padmé said firmly.

Padmé's blunt honestly with him took Anakin off guard. Usually, she was so gentle and delicate with her words when she wanted to tell him a harsh truth. And that was if she said it at all.

Padmé continued, "Vader's got so much pain bottled up in him. And he clung onto that pain for so long that it destroyed him, and he almost destroyed everything he ever cared about and that brought him joy in the process. There's still good in him despite the evil acts that he's committed. Somehow, he's found a way to channel that darkness for good. But you don't have to go down that path."

The anger and fight gone out of him at her words, Anakin suddenly felt the exhaustion from their excursion on Lothal come over him. He kneeled in front of her and buried his face in her lap.

"How?" Anakin whispered.

Because the most terrifying part about what he'd seen on Lothal hadn't been in and of itself the idea of falling to the dark side and becoming Vader. It was that as much as a large part of him denied that anything like that could happen, a small part of him whispered that he knew it could. Because how many times had he flirted with the darkness? Went just to the edge of falling into it before pulling himself back? How long could he flirt with the darkness before he slipped? What if he already had, and it was too late, and there was nothing that could be done to stop it? That was the terrifying part—to know that he could fall, be already falling, and not be able to do anything to stop it.

"I'm sorry," Padmé whispered.

"Why are you sorry? None of this is your fault."

"Maybe not. But for too long, I've known you were struggling. With this war. The Jedi. Even dismissing your feelings like they aren't valid sometimes. And they are. Even though I don't always understand it. We get so little time together that it was easier to just enjoy it instead of dealing with things and pressing issues that needed to be pressed," Padmé said to him. "We can't do that anymore. Not if we don't want to make the same mistakes that lead to the future Vader and the other Ahsoka had to survive."

It sounded so simple coming from Padmé, but that would take years—possibly longer than the entirety of their short marriage—of breaking old habits and doing away with the fear that there wouldn't be time for the good things or the happy moments if they took any time to fix the bad.

"I don't know if I can do that, Padmé."

"You won't have to do it alone. I'm going to be here to help you. And Ahsoka will help too."

Anakin huffed. "She doesn't even want to talk to me. She could barely look at me back in the temple."

"She's just scared right now. Battle-hardened as she is, she's still only eighteen. This, on top of the last few days, is probably a lot for her to process right now. You know Ahsoka. Give her some time, and she'll bounce right back," Padme assured.

Maybe. Or maybe she wouldn't. Padmé hadn't seen the way Ahsoka looked at him like she didn't recognize him. Anakin wasn't even sure he'd bounce back from this, despite Padmé's reassurance.

Before Anakin could say anything, Padmé continued, "I found out something at the temple too. Something wonderful."

"What?" Anakin asked, looking up to meet Padmé's gentle gaze.

"I'm pregnant. We're going to have twins. A boy and a girl."

Despite his overall feelings of despair and emotional exhaustion right then, Anakin couldn't help cracking a grin. And right then, just for a moment, he had hope that everything just might be okay.

* * *

**AN: **My intention actually was to update this Sunday night, but I went home for the weekend and didn't get a chance to prepare the chapter. In the next four chapters, we get a glimpse of what happened in the other timeline when the Order and the Republic fell. A lot of Vader and Ahsoka interactions in those and a glimpse into their complex relationship.

Many of you are asking the right questions and putting the right clues together to figure out what's going on. But I've still got a few surprises up my sleeve. Keep guessing though. I enjoy the theories.

Hope you enjoyed. Keep the reviews, follows, and favorites coming.


	15. Chapter 15

**15**

As many questions as Ahsoka wanted—needed—to ask, she agreed with her alternate, older self's declaration upon finally arriving at Padmé's private retreat in the middle of the night on Naboo that they all should get some rest first. It had been a long, non-stop week of being on the run. And while back when she was active in the war she had been used to much longer of being on the go with barely any time to rest during a mission or before the next one, these last seven months had spoiled her some. But if she'd had to, she would have easily been able to push through it.

It was the mental and emotional exhaustion from the whole week that had taken its toll on her, though, culminating in her experience at the Jedi Temple on Lothal. Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader. Would become Darth Vader. Is Darth Vader? Might become Darth Vader? Ahsoka wasn't sure. But knowing who was behind that suit, looking into that dark mask, that wasn't even the scariest part.

The scary part was that the rage she felt from Vader, even while encompassed in all-consuming darkness, was all too familiar to Ahsoka. That as unfathomable as Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader was, it wasn't hard to see how a push in the right direction, a gentle encouragement from the Sith Master, maybe, to give in to the darkness that seemed to walk in Anakin's shadow but that he never let consume him could turn him into that.

It all seemed so inevitable. So much so that Ahsoka hadn't been able to face her former master once they'd left Lothal. She needed time to figure this out. Figure out what to do. This couldn't be an inevitability that she had to accept. If it was possible, no matter how slim, to save the Republic and destroy the Sith Master, then there was definitely a way to keep Anakin from falling in the process.

_There's a very specific set of circumstances that lead to Vader's fall, _Ahsoka recalled her older self say. She needed to find out what the specific set of circumstances were.

So determined was she to find out, Ahsoka almost went to find where her other self had disappeared to after she'd helped a still weak Vader into the retreat. She talked herself out of it, though. She couldn't think straight through her fear, figure out all the possibilities, being so mentally drained as she was. She learned that in the war. She could move past physical exhaustion. But mental exhaustion was what put lives in more danger than was usually a given.

So she stripped out her clothes, and no sooner than her head hit the soft pillow of the bed in the room Padmé had shown her was she asleep.

Hours later, she still felt the emotional and mental burden of everything she'd learned in the past week but more refreshed and better able to shoulder it. Not so overwhelmed by it. She sat up and saw lying on the other side of the expansive bed a pair of dark leggings and a clean dark dress similar in style to her usual style lying on the bed. After cleaning herself up and putting on the new clothes, she left the room determined to find her other self.

She found the woman sitting in a well-lit dining area with an assortment of different fruits and fruity pastries. And Ahsoka guessed that was another similarity that she had with her other self. They both had a hell of a sweet tooth, especially for their species.

"I missed fresh fruit," her other self said, and for a moment, Ahsoka thought she was addressing her until she noticed Vader, without all his armor. wearing slacks and a casual tunic, standing in the corner of the room next to a large window.

"Spending most of your time in the Senate, the Palace, or a luxury State cruiser has spoiled you," he teased.

Her other self didn't deny it but threw a large piece of fruit at Vader, who caught it before it could hit him.

"Don't even think for a minute that if I had to, I still couldn't fall right back into place with the Imperial Army. The only reason I'm not is at your insistence, _Lord Vader_."

"Because you were needed elsewhere in the Empire," Vader pointed out. Then he said, "You can come out now."

Caught, Ahsoka came around the corner and into the dining area. But apparently, she wasn't the only one that was caught. Anakin and Padmé came in from an entryway on the other side of the room.

"Where'd you get all this?" Padmé asked as she sat at the table and took a pastry.

"At a market in town a few hours ago." Her other self ignored the displeased sound that Vader made in the corner.

"You should have come to get me. It can be easy to get lost in these parts. The navigation isn't always accurate out here," Padmé replied.

"I knew the way. Though, it was my first time actually navigating the market. During the Empire, a togruta woman just walking around the market on a mostly human planet would have raised quite a few suspicions and probably had the Empire invading. I would go right to the edge of town and send L—" Abruptly, her other self cut herself off. An exchanged look with Vader and Ahsoka knew the woman had said way too much.

"You would send the children," Padmé whispered lightly as she spread some fruity spread on a piece of toast.

A look passed between Padmé and the older Ahsoka before her other self smiled a little and said, "Yes."

"Children?" Ahsoka asked, getting the feeling that she was the only one out of the loop here.

Padmé looked back down at her toast and said, "Yes. I'm pregnant. With twins. The temple showed me."

"The temple…" Ahsoka said and then trailed off because Vader and her other self's protectiveness of Padmé made so much more sense now. Sure they wanted to keep her safe, but they also wanted to protect the children she carried. Padmé would only inadvertently be in danger—more than usual anyway—on Coruscant because of them.

"Now that rational minds can hopefully prevail, I suppose that we owe you all an explanation," her other self said sitting up a little straighter in her chair.

"A real one," Anakin said from the other side of Padmé, not touching any of the food. Ahsoka didn't blame him. She didn't have much of an appetite either.

"What do you want to know?"

"You're Darth Vader," Anakin asked Vader.

"Yes."

Everyone already knew that, but to hear the man himself admit it was another thing entirely and made Ahsoka want to lock herself in a room again at the realization of what that meant.

"You kill the Jedi," Ahsoka stated more than she accused because that too was a given.

"I had a significant hand in it. A gross and ill-thought-out error in judgment now that I look back on it," Vader stated matter-of-factly.

"You're kriffing kidding me," Anakin growled. "An error in judgment? That's what you're going to call it?"

"Vader," Ahsoka's older self said with a sigh.

"At least _now_ I can look back on it and say that maybe it was a bit rash. I didn't have to kill everyone. It was definitely a waste of great young talent that could have been directed to suit the Empire's interest elsewhere."

Ahsoka couldn't figure out if Vader was serious or just messing with them out of a very dark sense of humor. Probably both.

"Vader," her other self said in a warning tone this time.

Vader rolled his eyes and then turned his back on them to look out the window with his arms crossed.

"What else?" her other self continued.

"You're the empress," Anakin continued.

"Only because he insisted on it," her other self said with dry annoyance.

"Insisted?"

"When we defeated the Empire and entered into negotiations with the Alliance, they didn't like that Vader held most of the power of the government, even though he agreed to give the Senate back some of their power. They compromised by offering instead to spilt the power of the executive office. One part with Vader, who would control the Imperial Army, and a second that would set the Imperial Agenda and make law in conjunction with the Senate. Vader agreed so long as he got to pick who that person would be because he recognized the Alliance would want to place someone in the office that would try to dismantle Vader's Imperial power and possibly, the military. They agreed and then," her other self said with a sigh, "he picked me."

"Who else was I going to choose?" Vader asked quietly from where he was staring out the window. "The Alliance wasn't exactly wrong to be worried about my ability to rule when it came to politics, diplomacy, and the Senate."

"Anyone with more experience in politics than me," the alternate Ahsoka said.

"They called themselves leaders, but you rallied the planets opposed to the Emperor's rule together. You took the undercover missions to get close to crime lords, governors, and rulers to get information that not even I could get because of Sidious counterplotting against me. You negotiated with the Hutts for hyperspace lane use while plotting a slave insurrection against him that inspired nearby planets to do the same and join your cause. In a decade, you managed to accomplish what would have taken them a lifetime to do, and you captured the people's hearts, despite ruffling the feathers of the bureaucrats and the people who claimed to rule them. Who else would I have chosen that wouldn't have had the Empire broiled right back in civil war?" Vader said like it was obvious. "Certainly not one of those who were just going to sit behind a desk and move soldiers into the line of fire while making pretty speeches from the safety of their desks about how much they appreciated those who sacrificed their lives for a cause but would never pick up a blaster to join in the actual fights."

"You give the senators who allied with us to beat Sidious, despite being Republic loyalists, too little credit."

"You give them too much credit and yourself not enough, _Empress_."

Ahsoka got the feeling this was a debate the two had been having for a long time though it was hardly as contentious as the fight they had on the ship. This felt more like a fond game between the two.

"Either way," the alternate Ahsoka said, refocusing her attention, "the point is, I was nominated and became Empress long before our marriage. And I stay empress by airtight power of the Imperial Constitution. As soon as Vader's daughter is of appropriate age to rule the Empire, I'm stepping down. Anything else?"

"How?" Ahsoka asked finally.

"How what?"

Ahsoka couldn't help the glare she directed at her other self. Before, the woman had intimidated her. But now, even knowing this version of her was an empress that had gotten powerful people on her side and brought powerful people to their knees to take the galaxy back from the Sith Master that had once ruled it, Ahsoka couldn't help being frustrated by her.

"It doesn't really matter that he's Darth Vader or that you make the best of it and rule the galaxy yourself because that's better than Sidious ruling. Your cryptic answers and vagueness won't help us stop what we saw in the temple from happening if you don't tell us how it all went down in the first place. Because while you might have made peace with it because it's already happened, and you're trying not to make all of this a bigger deal than it already is because you're protecting Vader from his crimes, I'd like not to have to do that in my reality," Ahsoka snapped at her older self more viciously than she intended to.

Silence followed Ahsoka's declaration as her other self raised an eye-marking in something that looked like she might have been impressed or curiosity. Maybe something else.

However, it wasn't her other self that eventually answered. It was Vader.

"She's right, Ahsoka," the Sith said without turning around. "If you really want to help them as you say you do, we have to tell them everything. The good. The bad. The ugly. Even though it will condemn me more than the dark side already has."

Finally, Vader turned around and looked directly at Ahsoka. "What you saw in the Lothal temple was the version of events that will happen in this timeline, would have happened in this timeline, without our interference. How that would have happened? My visions were… unclear. All I do know is that the course to ultimate victory would have taken many lifetimes to accomplish. But I can show you an abridged version of the events that led to my fall and the Empire's rise. Maybe something in them will give us guidance on what our next move here should be to defeat Sidious before he ever rises."

"Show?" Ahsoka asked.

Vader nodded. "It would require a joint meditative state with both of us."

Ahsoka found herself nodding in agreement without realizing it. And to her left, on the other side of Padmé, so was Anakin.

"I can show you too. If you want," Vader directed to Padmé.

"How?" Padmé asked.

"My power to project memories to another person is only easier when they're Force-sensitive, but I can do it for those with no sensitivity," Vader replied.

"Besides," Ahsoka's other self began, "you've probably got a little sensitivity to the Force now that you're pregnant with the twins. Our Padmé did. You've been able to feel things that you haven't been able to feel before, haven't you? It's part of why you figured out who Vader was early on."

"Will they… be okay if I see?" Padmé asked.

"We'll shield them," Ahsoka's other self assured without needing to ask the "they" Padmé was referring to.

That said, Padmé nodded.

"Fair warning, you're going to find out a lot of important things that we've avoided telling you, including the identity of the Sith Lord. Are you prepared for who that is? No matter _who_ it is?" Vader asked all of them but looked squarely at Anakin as he said it, making Ahsoka wonder just what Anakin and Vader had talked about when they were trapped in the Lothal Temple together.

Anakin hesitated but nodded slowly.

They went to the living room, where Ahsoka's other self waved a hand, and all the furniture moved to be pushed back against the wall with practiced ease, like she had done so in this place before.

Before they went to kneel in the middle of the room, Ahsoka turned to Anakin and Padmé and said, "You two don't have to do this. They can just show me. You know… since it seems like of the three of us, I'm the one who comes out mostly unscathed."

She hadn't missed how subdued the two were. And Ahsoka couldn't blame them after finding out about the impending doom that was coming and could possibly separate them and put their children in danger.

"When have you ever known me to be a coward, Snips?" Anakin asked with a smirk, but even he sounded uncertain to Ahsoka.

"Thanks for the offer though," Padmé added.

They then knelt in the middle of the living room in a circle. As the only one who hadn't meditated before, Padmé had to be guided through it by Anakin until finally, they all fell into a collective trance. Ahsoka then felt the push of Vader's power against her mind. She instinctively resisted it, not eager to feel the dark, cold power that he'd radiated at the Lothal temple and been radiating since they got to Naboo. But apparently, this technique didn't require him to be immersed in the dark side and felt more like a cool breeze against her mind.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and opened herself up to it. And then her mind was flooded with images.

* * *

**AN: **You all have been asking who the Empress is since day one. And there. Now you know, and now you know why, though I'm sure now you've got a thousand more questions for me. Lol. Keep it coming. I enjoy it.


	16. Chapter 16

**16**

_**Alternate Timeline**_

"I wish you'd let me know you were coming. I would have been better prepared and got you those pastries you like so much."

Ahsoka followed Padmé into the sitting area as she said, "I didn't even know I'd be here until Skyguy ran into me a few moments ago. Said we needed to talk about something really important and to meet him here later after he talked to Master Windu about something."

"Glad he's decided to talk to someone," Padmé said as they sat down. "I've been worried about him. He's been distant lately."

"I noticed," Ahsoka replied. "He's always been really bad at hiding his emotions, but lately he seems… unhinged."

There was no telling how long he'd been like that. Ahsoka had just got back to Coruscant after finishing up a mission a few days ago. Since she'd been knighted, she hadn't seen her former master as much as she used to, and the last time they'd crossed paths was a little over a month ago in the Outer Rim before she got sent on another solo mission. All she knew was that it was obvious as soon as she laid eyes on him that something was wrong.

"Enough about Anakin, though. We'll deal with that when he gets here. How have you been, Ahsoka? I haven't seen you in months," Padme said absently. Ahsoka didn't miss the way one of her hands caressed the obvious bulge of her lower stomach.

Ahsoka shrugged. "Same as always. The war. A bunch of battles. Jedi politics. That kind of thing." Then she reached over and grabbed Padme's hand, the hand that was still caressing her stomach. "How have you been doing?"

She wouldn't outright ask. That's the way it was when it came to things about her master and Padmé. But she'd ask roundabout questions. Questions that obviously had a deeper meaning. Like asking how Padmé was generally doing as a way to ask about her pregnancy. Though, it probably made no sense for her to dance around the topic since it was so obvious.

"Fine. It's been a long few months, but hopefully, it'll be over soon," Padmé replied. "I'm in good health… I can't seem to convince Anakin of that, though."

Ahsoka knew Padmé well enough to know that was a plea for help. She wouldn't have been so direct about Anakin's involvement otherwise.

"Is this place secure?" Ahsoka asked tentatively.

"Of course, it is. It has to be. Otherwise, our marriage would have been the headlining scandal months ago."

The secret out in the open for today, more than out in the open considering Ahsoka hadn't known Padmé and Anakin were married until now—something she'd ponder later—Ahsoka asked, "What's really going on? Is something wrong with the baby?"

"No," Padmé said, and it sounded like she'd put all her frustration out into that one word. "Nothing's wrong with the baby or me. I've triple checked. But no matter what I tell Anakin, he keeps worrying about those dreams he's been having of me dying in childbirth."

"Dreams?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yes. He started having them a few weeks ago. When I told him I was pregnant. It's all he can think about."

"That makes no sense. A human in the core with your status and access to the best medical care in the galaxy? You'll be fine."

"That's what I've tried to tell him. But he won't listen. He's convinced that if he doesn't do something, I'll die like his mother did. Between that and the tug of war between the Jedi Council and the Chancellor and the pressure on him to end this war… Ahsoka, I'm worried about what it's doing to him. And he won't talk to anyone. Not to me. Not to Obi-wan. The only one he seems to trust is the Chancellor, and I don't know what to do anymore."

Ahsoka didn't reply immediately. That was a lot for her to take in. But what she did know was that she understood Anakin's reluctance to talk to anyone. There was Padmé, but it was hard to get people without the Force to understand the panic and urgency that came with having visions that seemed to indicate the future. While Ahsoka didn't think Obi-wan would report Anakin to the Council about him and Padmé—frankly, Ahsoka was sure he knew and was turning a blind eye like everyone else who knew the two—Obi-wan was on the Council. And Anakin always did have trouble separating people from the entities that they were part of.

While he might get a few sympathetic ears from the Council, they might not outweigh the voices of those who would be more concerned that he broke the code and the image of the Jedi Order. Ahsoka knew that first hand. So she couldn't blame him for his reluctance there. Nowadays, she took her assignments from the Council, did her duty in the war, and that was the extent of her caring toward the Order nowadays. At least until she figured some things out. The only reason she'd even stayed was that her former master convinced her to, and even that was only a temporary decision until the war was over.

No wonder he only trusted the Chancellor right now. As strange as she always thought their relationship was and as many mixed feelings as she had about the current leader of the Republic, the man asked nothing of Anakin. Nothing of Anakin that he didn't already have some inkling of wanting to do, anyway, from her observations.

"Do you think maybe he'll talk to you?" Padmé asked.

Ahsoka shrugged. "I was assuming that's what he called me over for anyway."

"Perhaps," Padmé muttered as she stood and went to the window that faced the Jedi temple.

Sensing that the woman was done talking, Ahsoka said nothing as Padmé continued to stare out the window at the temple. A few moments later, Ahsoka sat up a little straighter and frowned as she felt a precarious shift in the Force. Like something was teetering on the balance. Not quite danger. But definitely not safety.

She moved to stand next to Padmé in front of the window.

"Everything okay?" Ahsoka asked quietly.

"Yes," Padmé said, shaking her head and then moving to sit back down.

There was little to do but wait, so Ahsoka decided now was as good a time as ever to get some meditation done. Maybe she could gain some insight into these visions Anakin was having.

It was nearly nightfall by the time she was jolted out her meditation by a sharp warning in the Force and Padmé's sharp cry of, "Ahsoka!"

"What?" she asked, getting to her feet, hands already on the hilts of her lightsabers.

"The Jedi Temple!"

Ahsoka made her way over to where Padmé was standing at the window again, and her heart stopped at the sight of thick plumes of smoke rising from the Jedi Temple. Her first instinct was to jump in her speeder and make her way there to see what was going on. But if there was anything that she'd learned (somewhat) from being framed and now being a Jedi Knight in her own right, it was to stop and see if she could get a clue what she might be getting into if she had the chance.

"Threepio!" Ahsoka yelled as she made her way to the living room. "Turn to the holo-news!"

It was already on by the time she got to the living room. Live footage from a news-ship flying above the Jedi Temple, surrounded and overrun by clones, with a large breaking news banner scrolling across the bottom.

There were a bunch of talking heads asking speculative questions about what could be going on, but there were no concrete answers. All Ahsoka did know was that with the Jedi spread thin during the war as it was, any Jedi at the Temple didn't stand a chance. She didn't stand a chance if she went. She doubted Anakin could even…

Padmé was already way ahead of her on that one as she got an update from Threepio that Anakin had still been at the temple. Ahsoka's gaze locked with Padmé's after she dismissed the droid. For a moment, Padmé tried to maintain her tried and true senatorial gaze before it abruptly crumbled, and she fell into sobs.

"He's fine," Ahsoka said as she gathered the woman in her arms, even though she wasn't exactly sure about that. All she was sure of was that she'd know if he were to die. "Come on. This kind of stress isn't good for the baby. How about you get some rest?"

Padmé didn't reply or even give any indication that she'd heard her as Ahsoka led her to her bedroom. She cried a while longer until she had no more tears to cry and only stared blankly at the ceiling from where she lay on the bed.

"Let me help you get to sleep. Is that okay? I'll let you know if I hear anything," Ahsoka assured.

Padmé barely nodded, and Ahsoka used the Force to coax the woman to release all her tension and relax.

"Ahsoka," Padmé whispered.

"Yeah."

"If something happens to Anakin and me, you'll take care of him. Right?"

Even if Padmé hadn't placed her hand on her stomach, Ahsoka would have known what she meant.

"Nothing's going to happen to you and Anakin."

"But if it does? You'll take care of him? Or make sure he's taken care of? Or her?"

The look Padmé gave Ahsoka told her the woman would have no rest if she didn't give her an answer.

She placed a hand on top of the hand Padmé had on her swollen stomach. "Yeah. I'll take care of the little guy."

Padmé was asleep soon after, without Ahsoka having to resort to a Force encouragement to sleep. She wondered how much sleep Padmé had lost out on worrying about all this.

Ahsoka closed the door behind her and went to sit out on the veranda, hands on her lightsabers because if there had been an attack on the Jedi, Padmé might be in danger. Surely other people had noticed she was pregnant. And if they had, it wouldn't be hard to put two and two together and figure out that her close Jedi friend might be the father.

Eventually, she sensed something ominous coming toward the apartment. She lit her lightsabers and stood, ready to kill anyone who might threaten Padmé. A hooded figure got out the speeder, and Ahsoka braced herself to meet them head-on until they lowered their hood.

"Skyguy," Ahsoka said as she exhaled in relief and put her lightsabers away. "Thank the Force, you're safe. What's going on? There was an attack on the Jedi temple."

"I know," he said evenly. "Where's Padmé?"

"Resting," Ahsoka replied. "I'll go wake her. She was worried about you."

"No," Anakin said. "I don't have time. I have a special assignment on Mustafar from the Chancellor."

"The Chancellor," Ahsoka muttered. "Anakin, what's going on?"

"The Council tried to assassinate the Chancellor."

"No way," Ahsoka rolling her eyes. "Be serious. The Council has done some questionable things during the war, but they aren't stupid. Serious. What happened? Was this a Separatist attack?"

"I wish I weren't serious, but I was there. I saved the Chancellor myself. The Order has betrayed the Republic. The Chancellor was forced to send out the order to deal with all the Jedi. They're too big of a threat to be left alive."

"All the Jedi?" Ahsoka asked slowly and then glanced in the direction of the temple. The only ones at the temple were mostly younglings and the few knights that had their primary duties at the temple or were in between missions. Everyone else besides the Temple Guards, for the most part, were spread through the galaxy fighting the war. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach.

"What about me?" she asked.

"That depends on where your loyalties lie."

Ahsoka had to have gone crazy. Because that sounded like Anakin was threatening her. The Force whispered a warning to her. _Tread carefully._

"You know what my priorities are. The Republic. Ending this war. You," Ahsoka stated. Those seemed like things Anakin wouldn't debate her on. "I didn't know anything about this plot until you just told me."

"Good," Anakin replied as he began to pace slowly away from her. "Tell Padmé to wait for me."

"Anakin…" Ahsoka called and then trailed off. She wasn't exactly sure why she called him back. He turned to look at her, and Ahsoka couldn't meet his gaze.

"You trust me. Right, _Snips_?"

Something about the way he said that sent a chill down Ahsoka's spine. Despite her better judgment right then, she answered, "Yes."

"Then, don't worry. I've got a plan. I always do."

With that, he got into his starship and took off. It wasn't until she watched it leave the atmosphere and was headed back to the apartment that Ahsoka realized that she hadn't recognized Anakin's Force signature when he approached.

"Anakin," she muttered. "_What_ did you do?"

She found out the next day in the late afternoon after Padmé returned from a long Senate session where Palpatine presented evidence of the supposed Jedi plot to overthrow the Republic by taking advantage of the chaos of the war. Shortly after, he declared that the Republic would be turned into an empire.

"That idiot," Ahsoka said as everything came together for her. She might not know the exact specifics of what went down, but she did know a setup when she saw it. And the Chancellor's declaration that the Jedi were traitors had the markings of a setup all over it. Personal issues with the Order lately aside, she at least knew that they weren't capable of what they were accused of. But Anakin would find a way to convince himself they were. He was pretty bad at putting his personal feelings aside. It was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.

"Do you know if your security has a small fighter I can use?" Ahsoka asked Padmé.

"Yes… Where are you going?"

"To Mustafar," Ahsoka growled.

"What's on Mustafar?"

"Skyguy. We're going to have that talk he owes me. And once I talk some sense into him, I'm going to try not to kill him," she declared.

"Ahsoka…"

"Don't worry," Ahsoka said with a small grin as she playfully bared one of her sharp canines. "I won't rough him up too bad."

"Be careful."

"I always try."

* * *

"Leave it to you to do the exact opposite of what it was I asked you to do," Anakin pointed out as Ahsoka approached him from where he was standing watching the lava.

"Gotta say," Ahsoka joked, more out of habit than being able to actually find anything funny as she leaned on the railing next to him, "It's not exactly the worst view I've ever seen."

She stayed silent as they watched the lava rivers flow. Though Ahsoka knew that they were both avoiding the real reason that she had come here, there was something morbidly fascinating about the lava rivers.

Finally, she asked, "What's really going? And don't lie to me. Don't leave anything out. What's this plan?"

"Chancellor Palpatine."

"I don't really want to hear anything about the Chancellor, Anakin."

"He's the Sith Lord the Jedi were looking for."

Of all the things she had been expecting, that wasn't one of them. But it made sense. If the Chancellor were the Sith Lord, no wonder the Jedi had tried to kill him. It _was_ an assassination attempt, from a certain point of view. Ahsoka would have scoffed at her use of Jedi logic on a normal basis, but she was more concerned about the fact that if what Anakin said about Palpatine being the Sith Lord were true, and Anakin knew that and had been there during the attempt to kill him, and Palpatine was still alive while Anakin was on a special mission for him…

"You didn't," Ahsoka asked, turning to him, her voice barely above a whisper. But she already knew. She hadn't recognized him in the Force back on Coruscant. She thought he was an enemy because of how dark he'd been. She hardly recognized him in the Force now, even with the Force and their bond giving her confirmation.

He didn't reply, and that was answer enough for Ahsoka even without the Force.

Ahsoka opened her mouth to begin to talk several times but was too stunned to get a coherent thought out. Finally, she managed to ask, "Are you insane? The Sith are evil."

"From whose point of view? The Jedi that tried to take over the Republic?"

"Are you listening to yourself? You don't really believe that. The Jedi would do a lot of messed up things, but nowhere near that. The Chancellor's the one that just turned the Republic into an empire."

"They were holding me back," Anakin replied, ignoring the question. "I am now more powerful than any Jedi."

"So what are you going to do? Kill me too? I am a Jedi."

"No. You're part of the plan."

"What plan?"

"To overthrow the Chancellor now that he's shown me my true powers."

Before Ahsoka could reply, both of them were distracted by a Naboo cruiser landing on the pad.

"What's Padmé doing here?" he asked aloud before running to make his way to the ship.

Ahsoka followed. Maybe if she couldn't talk any sense into Anakin, Padmé could.

And she almost did. If there was one person that could stop Anakin from doing something, even if he'd already started, it was Padmé. She could hear it in Anakin's voice. He was faltering. That was until Obi-wan showed up on the top of the ramp.

Everything went to hell after that. More to hell than it already had.

"Stop it. Both of you," Ahsoka said as she stood protectively next to Padmé's unconscious form on the ground. "Obi-wan, we might still be able to bring him back."

Both ignored her.

"If you're not with me, then you're against me."

"Only a Sith deals in absolutes. I will do what I must."

"You will try," Anakin said as he made the first move against Obi-wan.

"They're going to kill each other," Ahsoka said as she watched them quickly disappear across the bridge and into the facility.

Ignoring her instincts to follow them, though, she knelt down to check on Padme and then lifted her off the ground and took her to her ship. Once she had the woman lying comfortably in a small room of the ship, she pondered what to do next. Padmé answered that question for her.

"Ahsoka. Where's Anakin and Obi-wan?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

"Don't worry about that. We've got to get you somewhere safe," Ahsoka decided.

Padmé shook her head and took a deep breath. "Ahsoka. Stop them. There's still good in him."

She lost consciousness after that. But, of course, Padmé was still worried about the man who had just tried to strangle her. And right up until Anakin had tried to strangle Padmé, Ahsoka might have been positive about there being good in him. Still… she owed it to Padmé to try.

"I am absolutely going to maim him if we make it through this alive," Ahsoka muttered as she left the ship once again, and with Artoo's direction, she went to find where Obi-wan and Anakin went before they killed each other. She'd like to think they wouldn't, but if Ahsoka was truthful, this fight was a long time coming. So many things they'd swept under the rug. So many things they just didn't talk about. Hopefully, she got to them before either of them hurt each other too badly. She found them coming down the lava river, dueling on a small platform headed to the bank.

"I never want them to call anyone reckless again. Fighting on a lava river. Seriously?" Ahsoka muttered as they got closer.

And then, Obi-wan saw the bank and saw her standing on it. He flipped into the air and landed a little ways away from her.

"It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground."

"You underestimate my powers."

"Anakin, no," Ahsoka cried at the same time as Obi-wan said, "Don't try it."

"Obi-wan. Don't," Ahsoka yelled as Anakin flipped through the air to try launching himself over Obi-wan.

She tackled Obi-wan before his lightsaber could connect with Anakin. They both tumbled onto the hot ground, and before Ahsoka could assess what was going on, the Force whispered a warning. And she let it direct her, following years of training and instincts as both her lightsabers flew to her hand. She blocked the oncoming blow meant for Obi-wan with one saber and struck in an opening in Anakin's defense with the other, slashing diagonally down his neck and the middle of his chest before Force pushing him backward on the bank.

Her lightsabers fell from her hands as soon as she realized what she'd done. Obi-wan was saying something to Anakin as he took choked breaths on the bank of the lava river, but she couldn't hear him as the gravity of what she'd done hit her. That strike was a killing blow.

And then she felt Obi-wan lift her off the ground while saying, "Come, Ahsoka. We have to go. Palpatine's coming."

She didn't even fight him as she let him lead her back to Padmé's ship, trying to ignore the raging scream coming from where they'd left Anakin. Only a sharp warning from her senses snapped her out of her stupor, and both looked up to see the Palpatine's ship entering the atmosphere.

"Go," Obi-wan said to her. "I'll hold them off in the fighter while you get away."

"But what about you?"

"Go. Get Padmé somewhere safe."

Ahsoka nodded, not having enough time to ask where, and managed to set her conflicted feelings aside to quickly get her and Padmé off-planet and into hyperspace before the Palpatine could send anyone after them. Once they were safely in hyperspace, Ahsoka went to check on her.

"Ahsoka," Padmé whispered. "Is Anakin alright?"

Ahsoka couldn't bring herself to be in the same room with her after that.

* * *

**AN: **So we learn a lot of things here; that in the alternate timeline, Anakin tells Ahsoka where he was going and Ahsoka tells Padmé and goes ahead to confront Anakin without knowing he turned to the dark side. Having no reason not to believe Ahsoka, when Obi-wan tells Padmé what happened, she goes to Mustafar and Obi-wan sneaks aboard her ship just like in canon. Ahsoka gives Anakin the almost fatal blow that forces him into the suit. And that in that timeline, Ahsoka is the one who speeds Padmé away from Mustafar.

Two more chapters to give us an idea of what happens in that universe before we're back to the main crossed timeline story. I already know I'm going to get a lot of questions about this chapter, so feel free to PM or review. I generally try to answer them all unless there's just something I can't answer.

Once again, hope you enjoyed. Keep the reviews, favorites, and follows coming.


	17. Chapter 17

**17**

_**Alternate Timeline**_

Ahsoka never thought she'd be more conflicted about making a decision than when she had to decide whether to stay with the Order after she'd been framed and summarily dismissed. She figured back then that at the very least, if she stayed, she could always change her mind if she decided that she couldn't do it anymore. If she decided that she couldn't figure out a way to make the Order feel like home again.

But now? She had no such luxury.

Ahsoka had to make a decision here. And once she did, there was no going back. No Jedi Order to fall back on or look to for reassurance. It wasn't safe to contact Obi-wan. She didn't know who else might have survived the purges that could help her. The Jedi might have some friends in the Senate, maybe even some connected to Padmé. But there was no telling who was being watched or if even her most secure comm channels were still secure. There was no one and nothing she could trust.

Ahsoka only had herself. Alone out here, save for Artoo and Threepio, on this neutral, backwater planet with the twin children of her former master and their mother's dead body a few doors down. Padmé had lived just long enough to name them—Luke and Leia—before using her dying breaths to insist there was still good in Anakin. Maybe that was true. Ahsoka wasn't sure. Ahsoka wasn't even sure her former master was still alive after she struck him on Mustafar. What she did know was that the Anakin Skywalker she knew would have never tried to strangle his wife. That even if he were alive, he'd be too angry, too lost in the dark side to try to get through. Even if he wasn't, the Empire would kill her before she could get close.

If it were just her life in danger, maybe she would have dared.

Ahsoka looked back down at the sleeping forms of the two children. She couldn't afford to be reckless right now. She was the only one that knew of their birth, and she had to keep them away from the Empire. That was the most important thing right now. Figure everything else out later.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and released her conflict into the Force.

With renewed determination and direction, for now, Ahsoka sent a message to the Naboo about Padmé's death and where to retrieve her body. Then she hacked into their digital files and erased any record of Padmé giving birth before finding the med droid that attended to her and wiping its memory. As far as anyone would know, Padmé died pregnant.

It wouldn't be long before the Naboo arrived to retrieve Padmé's body, and Ahsoka planned to be long gone with the twins and the droids by then. She packed as many supplies as she could manage to steal from the neutral medical facility for the twins' care as she could, which wasn't much. A few warm blankets. Human milk formula. A long piece of cloth that she would use to carry the two children. She didn't know much about taking care of newborns, let alone human ones, but she supposed she'd figure it out.

Dead or alive, friend or foe, unconventional Jedi that he'd been, the one thing that no one could take away from Anakin Skywalker was that he'd shown her how to survive against the worst odds. And survive was exactly what she planned to do.

* * *

After Ahsoka confirmed that her former Jedi master had indeed survived the blow she gave him on Mustafar, it was never a question of _if_ he would find her. It was a question of _when_.

She was responsible for the blow that had severely crippled him. He'd seen her leave Mustafar alive with Obi-wan. She'd been the last one to see Padmé alive. Him eventually finding her was an inevitability. So she wasn't surprised when the Empire showed up out of nowhere with no warning in the small community she'd settled in almost two years ago.

Empire Day was still a couple of weeks away, and even so, the planet didn't make much a big deal out of it except for an announcement. There was nothing of interest resource-wise that the Empire would want to finance and support its massive military undertakings. The only thing here that was of interest to the Empire and would require the big show of Imperial power that was the huge fleet overhead was her and the twin children lying asleep beside her.

Those first few months after the Republic fell had been hard. At first, she figured they'd just use the ship she'd gotten to move around, but Ahsoka quickly figured out that just wasn't a feasible option with two newborn babies. So finding a planet to settle down on it was. She'd researched options for weeks. It had to be somewhere the Empire wouldn't immediately look and somewhere so diverse in its populous that no one would think too hard about a young adult, practically girl, togruta female showing up with two human babies. That had been the easy part.

What hadn't been so easy was finding work where she could keep the children close. Eventually, she opened a repair shop right out of the small little home she'd found in the middle of town. And later, hearing about her skills, a shop hired her and allowed her to bring the twins along to keep in a back room where she could keep an eye on them.

The Force helped. She had a strict rule about not using it. But sometimes, when they were fed and changed and rested, the twins just wanted to know they were safe, and it was easy to send reassuring waves of peace and calm to keep them content. And after they'd started gaining more conscious awareness, they figured out how to send feelings to communicate with her and with each other. It meant that even though now that, according to what she knew about human babies, they should be starting to talk, they didn't talk much except for a few basic words. Ahsoka didn't worry about it. She could tell they were beginning to grasp language, but there was just no need to talk so often when the only beings they interacted with, they could interact with mentally and emotionally. Well, _most_ of the beings. They were starting to figure out that Threepio and Artoo couldn't understand them through the Force, and they had to _actually_ talk for the two droids to understand them.

"Time for a reckoning," Ahsoka said to herself as she carefully untangled Luke's small hand from one of her lekku. Then she slowly slipped out the bed as not to disturb the twins and got dressed, putting on for the first time in years an old utility belt with her lightsabers attached. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to use them.

"_So what are you going to do? Kill me too? I am a Jedi."_

"_No. You're part of the plan."_

Ahsoka reactivated Threepio from where he was shut down next to Artoo for the evening and gave him instructions to watch the twins. Quietly, she added firmly, before kissing each twin on the forehead while making sure she'd sufficiently shielded their minds and Force potential with her own. The plan was to teach them to shield themselves now that they were getting older and would eventually start spending time away from her when they started school, but… Well, Ahsoka would see what happened tonight.

She sat in front of the door with her arms crossed, sensing the stormtroopers surround her home, but positive they wouldn't barge in. If she knew her former master, he'd want to deal with her himself. As a personal matter.

She didn't react when the door opened, revealing the tall black hulking figure she'd been expecting. Not even when he entered, his lightsaber lighting the room with angry luminous red, and the sound of the mechanical breathing of his suit filled the room. Neither of them said anything for a long time.

Finally, brash as always, Ahsoka said, "Darth Vader. That's the name you go by now, right?"

"_Jedi._"

So that's how he was going to be.

"Always making things difficult, _Anakin._"

"That name has no meaning to me."

"If it didn't, you wouldn't have come in here to deal with me personally. You would have let one of the Emperor's inquisitors deal with me."

He didn't acknowledge that. Instead, he said, "So accepting of your fate? I didn't think you wouldn't put up a fight."

"I think we both have different ideas of what will be my fate tonight," Ahsoka replied as her consciousness picked up the twins beginning to stir and reach out to her when they didn't feel her body next to them.

_I didn't go anywhere. I'm here,_ she sent to them, not in words so much as in feelings.

"And what's your idea?" He raised his lightsaber in her direction, probably expecting a fight.

Finally, she said, "I've got a proposition that I think you might be interested in, Darth Vader. How about you have a seat and we have a chat?"

"How about I stand here and you talk very quickly?"

"Suit yourself," Ahsoka said with a shrug, hoping her nervousness didn't show. She felt like she was dealing with a wild animal. A predator that could strike her down at any time if they wanted but was willing to take what amusement they could from their prey. "I've thought a lot about what happened the last time we saw each other. What all of us could have done different."

If she hadn't been so rash and stayed on Coruscant with Padmé while waiting for Anakin to return. Or if she had let Padmé come with her in the first place so that Obi-wan would have never followed her. Or not told Padmé where Anakin was at all so she wouldn't have unwittingly led Obi-wan to Mustafar in the first place. Or been there when Obi-wan came to tell Padmé what Anakin had done, and maybe they both could have convinced him to not go as an enemy, but as a friend more worried about bringing Anakin back. Following Obi-wan and Anakin during their fight instead of making sure Padmé was okay and settled first. So many things they could have done differently that could have changed things for the better. Or maybe it would have been worse.

Ahsoka didn't know. Nor did it matter. It was done now. The Force had willed it, she supposed.

"We were so focused on fighting each other that we forgot about the person really pulling the strings, the real enemy in the whole grand scheme of things. Palpatine. He lied to all of us. He was the real traitor. The reason for the destruction of the Order. The reason for the war…" Ahsoka trailed off in hesitation. What she was about to say next was a gamble, but while the Force told her to be cautious, there was nothing that told her not to say it. "The reason Padmé died."

She felt his anger flare in the Force and hoped the shields she had around the twins protected them from sensing it.

"You really didn't believe whatever lie they told about her death. That a rogue Jedi killed her. That I killed her after I left with her?" Ahsoka asked. Anger flared again, but not at her. It was at himself… "Or did Palpatine convince you that you killed her?"

Ahsoka didn't think even her shields around the twins could fully protect them from the inferno of hate, rage, and guilt that she felt as Vader's dark presence flared in the Force. It didn't. Despite her attempts to calm them down through the Force while at the same time trying to recover from the effect the flare had on her, she felt their fear, followed by the sound of footsteps as they ran from their room to her.

She reinforced her shields so that they wouldn't feel her own fear in the Force despite knowing they wouldn't like not being able to feel her in the Force. But better than feeding their fear with her own. She'd wanted to get her proposition out before she revealed them. Just in case… Just in case she'd underestimated Vader's loyalty to his master.

"_Mama_," they both cried as they collided into her legs. One of the few basic words that escaped their mouths when they did decide to talk.

Ahsoka didn't even try to hide the sharp pang of guilt upon hearing them call her that. She wasn't their mother. They should have been calling another woman that.

"Oh, goodness!" Threepio said, scurrying into the room too little too late to stop the twins. "I'm so sorry Miss Ashla. They ran away before—"

"It's okay, Threepio. You can go back. Deactivate for the rest of the evening," Ahsoka said while avoiding Vader's gaze as she helped the twins climb into her lap, each one grabbing a lek as they buried their faces into her chest.

Thankfully, for once, Threepio went without any argument.

Still not daring to look at Vader's mask, Ahsoka whispered to them, "It's okay, little ones. There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm sure it was just a bad dream."

When she couldn't get them to calm down, she gave Vader a sharp look and snapped, "Stop it. It's you that's scaring them."

If she weren't so concerned about the twins, she would have thought twice before talking to him that way. But even though she felt guilty that the woman who really should have mothered them wasn't there, they'd bonded with her, unconsciously reached out to her in the Force during those first few awful days after her world had shattered. And though she tried to ignore it at first, to deny them what they wanted while she wallowed in self-pity and misery, she eventually reached back and bonded with them. As much as sometimes she couldn't look at herself for it, to them and in the Force, she was their mother. And togruta instincts flared to protect her pack. Protect her younglings.

He calmed down. Probably more out of shock than actual fear that she'd hurt him. Ahsoka wasn't dumb enough to think that even injured and in a life support suit, that Vader didn't easily outclass her when it came to lightsaber skills. The blow on Mustafar had been a lucky shot.

The control she'd had—or at least thought she'd had—gone now, Ahsoka let all her conflicted emotions take over and come out in annoyance as she asked scornfully, "Can you take that mask off at all? Or did I manage to injure you on Mustafar as bad as I thought I did?"

Again, not the best word choice, but lucky for her, she had two bargaining chips in her arms. If Anakin Skywalker were still there, he wouldn't dare hurt her with them in her arms. Not until he knew for sure who they were… Maybe. She couldn't get the image of him choking Padmé out her head.

He turned off his lightsaber and returned it to his belt before he pressed a button to release the helmet and remove it. The mask followed.

He'd aged some. No doubt because of the anger, rage, guilt, and self-loathing that he clung to and from the dark side he immersed himself in. And without the mask, his breathing had a barely-there whistle to it that belayed to Ahsoka that while she hadn't killed him, she had injured him as bad as she thought she had. But he still looked like himself save for his hair a little longer and his face a little pale from wearing the suit all the time.

After he set the mask and helmet down, he asked in a soft, raspy voice that somehow managed to permeate the silence of the room more than the loud voice modulator had, "Are they…?"

"Yes. Luke and Leia."

Now calm, but still awake, they both looked up at her after recognizing their names from her lips.

"Yes. That's both of you," she said in acknowledgment to them but while keeping an eye on Vader.

"I thought… I thought I killed her. And the baby—babies—with her."

"I don't know if what you did resulted in her death," Ahsoka said firmly. She wouldn't absolve him of his sin of hurting Padmé. Maybe he hadn't directly killed her, and maybe she didn't die immediately if his Force choke had eventually killed her. But regardless, he was mostly to blame for her death, whether directly or indirectly. The rest of it, other than Palpatine, lied with her and Obi-wan.

"She lived long enough to give birth to them and name them, though," Ahsoka added evenly.

"You had no right to keep them from me."

"Can you blame me? You killed the younglings at the Temple. You threatened to kill me. You choked Padmé. You tried to kill Obi-wan. _You_ betrayed _us_, " Ashoka said bluntly, and his expression hardened at that. Good. She hoped it hurt for him to realize it. It was one thing to betray the Republic. That she could forgive. Governments rose and fell every day. But to turn around and betray the people he'd sworn to protect? She wouldn't let him forget that so easily.

Ahsoka continued, "I couldn't assume they'd be safe from you. But I did know eventually you'd find us. And I was hoping by the time you did, we both would have cooled off and actually be able to talk with cooler heads and come to agree that the real enemy in all this is Palpatine. And that _we_ have to take him down."

"Revenge isn't the way of the Jedi."

"Maybe not. But this isn't revenge. Or at least, I don't see it that way. I can't change what happened. But I can make sure that Palpatine doesn't get to do this again and that you get back everything he promised he would give you but didn't while at the same time taking the power and Empire that Palpatine holds so dear. And if it looks a little like revenge? That's the Order's problem. And you made sure there's not much of it left," Ahsoka said, trying to keep the anger out her tone.

The twins must have sensed it because Luke began to pat a small hand on her chest while Leia said, "It's okay, mama."

Distracted by his small children, looking like more than anything he wanted to take them into his arms, Vader didn't reply immediately. When he finally did, he asked, "And what do you get out of all this, _Ahsoka_?"

It was the first time he'd referred to her by her name in the course of this conversation. Ahsoka wasn't sure whether or not that was a sign that she should be worried.

"To make sure these two don't inherit this fight because we didn't do something about it while we had the chance. So they can live in a world where they aren't in constant danger and hunted for their power. Where no Force Sensitive child is. By either the Sith or the Jedi," Ahsoka declared. Because frankly, she couldn't imagine what it must have been like for mothers all over the galaxy to give birth to a child only to have to give them away because they needed more than they could offer them.

"And maybe… Maybe in the process, with time, wounds will heal and become old and hurt a lot less, and I'll get at least one friend back," Ahsoka added hesitantly though she didn't break her gaze with Vader's eyes. They were still mostly yellow with red around the perimeter of the pupil, but she could see some blue shining through. Before Vader could answer, she said, "Let me be clear, though. I won't turn to the dark side. I won't be your Sith apprentice. I'm your equal partner in this. And while I accept that this darkness is part of you, I won't let you try to corrupt Luke and Leia with it. Or try to hurt them because of it. It'll be over my dead body first."

Ahsoka couldn't read his expression. Something else that had changed over the years. She used to be able to read him so well. Now she couldn't see past the intense glare of rage and loathing. The darkness had always tempted him a lot more than the normal Jedi, and Ahsoka wasn't going to think too hard about why that was. There was no point.

If she had to, though, for the sake of the galaxy, she'd walk with the dark monster, as she'd heard people call him. Instead of trying to appeal to his better nature, like Padmé would have, Ahsoka would appeal to the worst of it for the sake of good and a common goal. Maybe she'd even manage to learn to help him bring the darkness to heel by the time all this was over. But Vader's power, the dark side, was only capable of destruction. And while that was something she'd need if Palpatine and everything that gave him power was going to be destroyed, she wouldn't let him use that power on her and definitely not on Luke and Leia—even if he had the better right to them, biologically at least.

"I think," Vader began and then paused. And was that just Ahsoka projecting, or was that hope she saw in his eyes? A small part of the man he used to be? He continued, "I think I can live with those terms."

Something passed between them in the Force. And Ahsoka relaxed, knowing that, for now, she was safe and so were Luke and Leia.

Ahsoka stood to her feet and approached with both children now asleep in her arms. Then she gestured for him to take Leia from her. She stirred in the process, and Ahsoka got the feeling that had more to do with how Vader was holding her than his no doubt uncomfortable chest armor plates. The twins had fallen asleep in way most uncomfortable nooks and corners.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and sighed, almost forgetting exactly who and what she was dealing with.

"Don't be so stiff, Skyguy," she said and ignored the dark look he sent her way. "Relax. Put your other hand on her back and rub and pat it softly. Make her feel safe."

He followed her instruction, and finally, Leia settled back into sleep against him. In another time and place, this wouldn't have been his first time holding his daughter. And in that time and place, she also wouldn't have been the woman instructing him how to hold her.

Ahsoka banished the thought from her mind. Regret wasn't going to get them anywhere.

She shifted Luke up higher on her shoulder and patted his back softly to keep him from stirring awake before asking, "Now. What's your plan to overthrow Sidious and become the emperor?"

* * *

**AN: **Over the years this story was in my head, I went through dozens of ways this meeting and everything leading up to it could play out. In the end, I settled on this. It's one of my favorite chapters, especially the end. In one breath Ahsoka's teaching Vader how to hold Leia and in the next, while trying to keep Luke sleeping, she's ready to plan a hostile takeover. That's badass.

So one more chapter of the alternate timeline in which the reason that our two time travelers got married is revealed. And it's not for the reasons everyone has assumed...


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: **So I lied... This is not the chapter in which we find out exactly why our two time travelers ended up married. It has nothing to do with making the alternate Ahsoka empress btw. But... I realized something was missing between the last chapter and the one that comes after this and that was the original 18th chapter and... well, I managed to vomit this out yesterday.

* * *

**18**

_**Alternate Timeline**_

Vader sensed the three as soon as they came into the atmosphere, but felt no need to rush out to greet them. They'd come to him shortly as they always did. It gave him time to properly shield himself and restrain his power in the dark side. Otherwise, if he didn't, Ahsoka would be angrier with him for exposing the twins to his power than she likely already was given their last encounter… Not that he cared if she were angry at him. She was simply infinitely easier to deal with when she wasn't contemplating pointing her lightsaber in his direction.

Because for better or for worse, his children knew Ahsoka as their mother before he was ever introduced to them as their father. If it ever came down to it, as little as he saw them already, he was positive they'd choose Ahsoka over him. And Ahsoka would keep them away if she ever thought he might hurt them. The idea used to displease him until he reminded himself that he'd very nearly killed Luke's and Leia's birth mother and them along with her. So in that respect, he was pleased that Luke and Leia had someone who would protect them at any cost. And risking his ire was definitely a high price to pay.

Thus, he'd acquiesce to Ahsoka's demands when it came to them. His children were one of the few bright spots he allowed himself to have. They gave him direction and focus; helped him remember exactly what he was fighting for as not to ever allow the dark side to use him as a tool for its own chaos rather than him use the dark side as a tool for his will.

If he hadn't known of their arrival when they came into the atmosphere, he would have been certain of it when the door to his personal suite in the living quarters of his Mustafar Castle opened without him having given permission. Luke, Leia, and Ahsoka would be the only ones who dared to do so.

"Dad!" Luke exclaimed upon seeing him. "Leia cut her hair."

"I didn't cut my hair. You cut my hair."

"Only because you asked me to because you didn't want Aunt Breha to put your hair in those buns for that dinner they made us go to," Luke shot back.

Indeed, Leia's once long hair was now cut short into a bobbed style with a headband at the front to keep it out her face.

"I think it looks beautiful," he said to his daughter, and the seven-year-old girl beamed at his approval.

"Mind you, this was after we managed to salvage what was left of it and after the two got into a fight because Leia didn't like the way Luke cut it," Ahsoka put in.

Luke avoided Vader's gaze then, while Leia looked at Ahsoka in indignation and betrayal.

"Mama!" she exclaimed. "You said you wouldn't tell dad about that part."

"I said I'd think about it," Ahsoka said with a smile and a raised eye marking.

Leia pouted and crossed her arms, deciding she no longer wished to stand at her mother's side and came to stand next to Vader, tangling one of her small hands in his.

"Mind giving your dad and I the room, little ones?" Ahsoka asked. "Get Threepio to help you get ready for bed, and I'll send your dad your way to tuck you in, okay?"

Somehow, Ahsoka could ask the twins to do something as though she was giving them a choice, and they'd do it, even if she had to calm their protests first. Vader told them to do something, and Leia argued on both their behalf, and if it looked like she was failing, Luke would join in.

_You can't treat them like soldiers,_ Ahsoka had reprimanded him once. And Vader _knew_ that. Sometimes it was hard to turn that off though.

Before they left to do as their mother bid them, Luke and Leia exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes. Then they chorused, "Yes, mama," and left the room.

As soon as the twins were gone and out of the immediate perimeter of their Force presences, Ahsoka's calm and patient expression gave way to a glare, her blue eyes narrowing just so and her lips turning down into a frown. Even as an adult, nearly as tall as him now with the skill, prowess, and athletic build to back up her anger, he found it hard to be intimidated by her. Frequently annoyed? Yes. But not intimidated. Then again, he was a Sith Lord. The whispers he'd heard of her throughout the military over the years said most disagreed with him. Those fortunate enough to survive—or more properly, miss—an encounter with her found her to be quite the deadly terror.

"Something wrong?" Vader asked, deciding that if she was going to be angry anyway, he may as well get some entertainment from it.

"Don't play stupid with me, _my lord_," Ahsoka said in that mocking tone of his title that she only used when she was angry with him. "You ruined my last mission."

"I didn't ruin anything. I just didn't agree with your objective on that mission, so I… personally interfered."

"Do you want the Emperor to succeed in building the Death Star? If he builds that thing, he'll ravage the Outer Rim and destroy the rebellion. It's been hard enough amassing a fleet that will eventually be a credible enough threat to him," Ahsoka snapped.

"And it still isn't strong enough," Vader pointed out.

"Exactly," Ahsoka growled. "If you know that, then—"

"If I had let you succeed, it would have been a devastating blow to the Emperor's ego and pride, never mind his power."

"That's kind of the point, Vader."

"And then you would have gone from an annoying nuisance as far as the Emperor knows and is concerned to definitely being a credible threat and having the full might of the Empire directed against you. And while I don't doubt your resourcefulness nor your and my ability to turn such a situation to our favor, it would only make things that much more difficult for us when we don't have all our allies in the right places to turn Palpatine's empire against him," Vader explained, trying not to get too worked up. His chest still hurt from where Ahsoka had deftly kicked him the chest, right in the almost fatal injury she'd given him seven years ago, during their most recent encounter.

"We might not get the chance if the Death Star, the Emperor's little project that you neglected to tell me about, gets finished before then. Or is that how you plan to rule your empire after we've unseated your master?"

"It won't be finished. I have assured that there will be countless delays due to sheer… incompetence and attacks by other terrorist factions that have no connection to your rebellion. It won't do to gain the Emperor's attention just yet."

Ahsoka didn't reply, though Vader knew she was far from placated. He continued, "I despise that technological and engineering disaster as much as you do. It's sucking the resources of the Empire dry. Resources that can be used elsewhere in the galaxy."

"Well, you could have just told me that instead of brandishing a kriffing lightsaber at me," Ahsoka snapped.

"Oh. You mean while all our rebel agents and my Imperial agents were around to notice and possibly overhear? You didn't give me a choice but to fight you. And even if I had told you, I have a feeling you would have continued with your objective anyway," Vader added. It wouldn't be the first time they'd disagreed on how to proceed in their plot and ended up resolving it by a duel during a mission to see if one could foil the other.

"I still don't have complete range of motion in my arm from where you threw me into that pile of rubble," Ahsoka muttered.

"It's only been a week. It'll heal." Then he added, "You were the one that agreed when we first started all this that the only way it would work was if we trusted each other. No matter what it looked like we were doing to sabotage each other. Everything we do is toward the same goal."

Ahsoka huffed, though Vader could tell her continued irritation was more pretense than anything. "Don't use my words to you against me."

She then sighed, made her way over to his bed, and collapsed onto it.

"Go sleep in your own bed," Vader chided.

"I haven't laid in a proper bed in weeks, Vader. And the only reason it's this bad is because you decided to toss me around like a rag doll in our duel a week ago. So shut up," Ahsoka said with her eyes now closed, though he suspected she was far from asleep.

That was confirmed when he felt her mental knocking against his shielding through their, at one time dormant but never severed, bond. He retracted some of the icy darkness that he usually immersed their bond in so that Palpatine would never know they were still connected when he was near him. So Palpatine would never be able to know Vader's plans to overthrow him for certain, though Vader was sure his master suspected it. It was the Sith way after all. Then he relaxed his mental shield some. Not enough that his presence would be obvious and possibly penetrate the weaker shielding of his children, but enough that Ahsoka could feel easily sense it.

She mentally latched onto his presence before blanketing her own presence in its coolness. When he sensed her relax afterward, he mused that she was probably the only person who found his cool dark presence in the Force comforting. Even his children were prone to shy away from it in the Force at first. But somewhere along the way, over these last few years, despite all their clashes, misunderstandings, and outright disagreements, Ahsoka had come around to seeing him as a source of safety and comfort.

Somehow, that hadn't translated to her turning to the dark side. And Force knew he tried to turn her. If they were going to go up against Palpatine, he'd have no one as an ally that was anything less than an unstoppable force. And if she was going to do that and continue to protect his—their—children, he couldn't accept anything less.

At first, her defiance frustrated him, and he'd seen the way she clung to the light side of the Force as pathetic. A desperation to keep alive the last remaining remnant of a dead Order when she'd thrown all those tenants away the moment she allowed herself to bond with his children and let them call her their mother. Certainly so after she allied with him to overthrow the Emperor. But he'd changed his mind after a while. It wasn't her desire to be loyal to the Jedi that made her cling to the light. It was her passion to build something and make the galaxy into something where her adopted children would be safe; where they wouldn't be trained and forced to fight in a war at way to young an age because it was the only way to survive.

In that way, they were two sides of the same coin. She desired to build institutions to defend and protect, and if that meant some destruction along the way, it was something she accepted as an inevitability. And he desired to destroy and obliterate anything that would dare rise to hurt that which he cared for which would, in the long run, protect them and others. And sometimes their methods crossed and ran parallel to each other. So, in the end, he decided to encourage the light in her, though he'd never tell her that's what he was doing.

And while his training had been ineffective to turn her to the dark side, he had succeeded in making her an unstoppable force. He'd stripped away all weakness from her. He couldn't take all the credit, though. Many others had broken under the stress of the training he'd put them under. The inquisitors the emperor insisted on having certainly would have if he'd been allowed. But Ahsoka hadn't, and had surprised him and utilized his intense training in ways that even he couldn't have predicted; the foundation for which she did so being one of the few things he would give Anakin Skywalker credit for.

Vader had to take a few slow breaths to gain control of the brief moment of jealous possessiveness that came over him. At the idea that her attachment to him was some false hope that the Jedi that she'd once known still existed.

"I keep telling you that I neither subscribe to the Jedi nor Sith philosophy of you becoming some totally different person because you embrace the dark side. The vast majority of the time, you're just a much meaner version of Anakin Skywalker. The worst parts of him significantly amplified," Ahsoka said with her eyes still closed.

"And the significantly less minority?" Vader asked in curiosity.

"Whoever you become around the twins," she replied.

He sensed something else, something that went unspoken but that he understood from the way she blanketed her presence tighter in his through their shared bond. But like she neglected to address the brief spike of possessiveness in him for her, he'd neglect to address what her action in the Force—whether purposeful or not—had implicated.

And it was something they would continue to neglect. Goodness knew their friendship—because despite every reason they had not to be and though neither could openly admit it, he knew they both considered each other a friend—was explosive enough at its worst and insanely complicated at its best. In both cases, it complicated their plotting enough as it was.

"I'm not going to get in a philosophical argument with you. Whatever it is or however you think of it, I accept it all the same," Ahsoka said in a tone of finality that Vader was sure she'd picked up from leading a rebellion these last four and a half years or so.

He decided to let it slide. One thing he'd learned in their plot to overthrow the Emperor was that it was best to pick the battles that would be worth his while and allow the rest to die by not agitating them.

Then Ahsoka said, "Vader."

"What?"

"What's your plan after we defeat the Emperor?" Before he could answer, she added, "I mean as in, what's your plan to make the Empire into not just something better than Palpatine's iron rule, but also a better alternative to what the Republic devolved into before it fell."

"What makes you ask that?"

"A conversation I had with Bail when I went to get the twins," Ahsoka replied. "Long story short, him and Mothma fully intend to restore the Republic. They also understand the gravity of the flaws in it that allowed Palpatine to rise to absolute power and plan to make changes as necessary. But I know that's not what you intend to do. So what's your plan after there's no big threat to fight, and the galaxy needs a leader and not a warrior?"

To be honest, Vader hadn't considered anything concrete beyond getting rid of Palpatine and his staunch supporters and filling the power gap that would be left behind with his own power and the people that he and Ahsoka were putting in place for when it was time to pull the final trigger on their plan. At that point, Ahsoka would reveal to her Rebellion co-leaders that Vader had been her secret Imperial contact all along, and they'd negotiate terms for a truce. After that? Vader hadn't decided. But under no circumstance did he plan on turning over all his power for another Republic.

"I suppose I'll be emperor," Vader decided to reply finally.

Ahsoka made a muffled sound that was between a snort and an outright laugh.

"Vader, your solution to everything is choking people for incompetence, and you stay away from Coruscant just as much to avoid any state and political duties as you do to avoid the emperor."

"What do you suggest then?"

"A really good advisor," Ahsoka replied dryly.

"You perhaps? Since you seem so concerned about it?"

He meant it as a joke—and Ahsoka took it as much as she outright laughed—but something about that… It felt right in the Force. Because who else would he not only respect enough to listen to but would also respect him enough to listen to him. And obviously, Ahsoka had given what happened after Palpatine some forethought, unlike him. And though she gave Bail Organa and Mon Mothma _far _too much credit, he knew without her and her grim determination to set the galaxy right again, their rebellion would be an exercise in futility against the Empire. Without her, his plot to overthrow Sidious would not have gotten as far as it had this quickly.

_Advisor_, Vader thought to himself. Then he frowned. No. That wasn't a title befitting of her. Of the only person he'd dare to allow to even dream of being his equal.

His equal.

If he was going to be an emperor, then Ahsoka could be no less than…

_Empress_.

Now that was an idea…

"Vader, what are you over there plotting?"

Vader blinked out his musings to see that Ahsoka was now lying on her side with her head propped up on her hand, eyes looking at him warily like she always did when she was expecting him to inform her of something she wouldn't like. And, oh, she definitely wouldn't like his new idea.

He had to keep himself from smirking at the reaction he knew she'd have when he finally revealed it. Certainly not any time soon. Otherwise, she'd find a way to put some measure in place to stop him. But if he played his cards right, he could set her in a position where she'd have no choice but to accept his offer of power to her.

"Nothing. Just imagining the look on your precious Alliance leaders' faces when they find out I'm your Imperial connect and that they were manipulated once again into helping make another man emperor," Vader said.

Predictably, she rolled her eyes at what she called his "dark humor" and then turned back over with her eyes closed again. She'd most definitely be asleep by the time he got back, which meant he'd be forced to carry her to her own quarters and bed.

As he rose to find the twins and put them to bed, he took one last look at her and smirked. She'd help him take control of the galaxy and become emperor, and in return, he'd hand the galaxy over to her and make her an empress.

And people thought he was really that bad at politics.

* * *

**AN: **Vader is really hard to write. Super hard. It's hard to find that fine line between cruel sith while showcasing that he has some light left in him. But this chapter needed to be here. Since I did promise a different chapter and I did prepare it to update this before I realized I needed to write this, I supposed you'll get a bonus chapter this week. Maybe. Idk.

Anyway, keep the reviews and speculation coming. I enjoy reading it. It shocks me how much I manage to keep you all on your toes.


	19. Chapter 19

**19**

_**Alternate Timeline**_

Ahsoka always knew they'd win eventually. Once Anakin Skywalker put his mind to doing something, only death could stop him. And that didn't change because he called himself Darth Vader now.

Still, Ahsoka had never dared to even imagine that she'd be able to step foot on Coruscant as anything other than a fugitive, let alone as a potential candidate for the job of empress.

"You're a piece of work. You know that?" Ahsoka asked when she sensed him come to join her from behind as she looked out the large window of the luxury apartment they had been staying at since their taking of Coruscant and defeat of the Emperor a little over a month ago.

"So I've been told," Vader replied with a hint of humor in his tone as he stood next to her and gazed at the sight of the Imperial Palace in the distance. The Former Jedi Temple.

She'd refused to stay there once they'd won and Vader became the irrefutable ruler of the Empire during this state of transition. They'd tear it all down and build a memorial both so that galaxy would never forget the atrocity that happened there but also as a cautionary tale of what happened when one became complacent because of their power… If Vader would go for it, that is. She ignored the voice in the back of her head that said if she became empress she could do it even if he didn't like it.

"I can't be an empress. I'm not a politician. I'm a freedom fighter at best."

"Maybe a freedom fighter is what this galaxy needs. Not a politician," Vader pointed out.

"Anakin," Ahsoka said with a sigh. She rarely called him by that name anymore, but some days he was a little more the old Anakin Skywalker than he was the destructive one-man army that was Darth Vader. And a lot of days, she couldn't tell the difference. Today was one of those days. Besides, his name was a matter of argument. Certainly, one the Alliance hadn't given a damn about when it was revealed who was behind Darth Vader's dreadful mask.

"Hear me out," he said in a firm, quiet tone.

The quietness of his voice had taken a while to get used to. With his chest injury, it was painful for him to get worked up and talk too loud without straining his lungs and vocal chords—unless he was wearing the suit. Sometimes he forgot that, but he'd gotten very effective in getting his point across without getting worked up. Some of it, Ahsoka figured, was also a little maturity. A lot had happened since their younger years. More younger years. They were still young. She was only a few months past twenty-eight in standard years. And he wasn't even in his mid-thirties yet. She was sure he'd agree with her that it felt like they were much older.

"I'm listening," she said. She'd give him that. She always did.

"I'm not just picking you because I think you'll be on my side in everything. In fact, I foresee endless clashing between us about how to effectively rule," Vader said with a bit of amusement in his tone, as though he was looking forward to their future clashes.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes while trying not to smile. Of course, he looked forward to it. It would just be a continuation of their infamous rivalry throughout this whole war—hopefully without the lightsabers. Vader had gotten a dark pleasure out of their encounters, and though Ahsoka would never admit it, so had she. So she couldn't blame the Alliance for being shocked that he had been her secret Imperial contact all along and that, despite their alliance, their infamous rivalry had been very much real.

"I choose you," Vader continued, "because I trust you to always try to do the right thing. To know that you'll compromise only when possible and when it doesn't violate the core values of freedom, justice, and what's right even if it's difficult. I can at least admit that I've proven I don't exactly know how to do that."

"Any of the high ranking members of the Alliance could do that."

"From a certain point of view, perhaps. But you were the one in there that fought against lines and provisions of the revised Imperial constitution that would suppress the voices of the people and would also hinder the ability to efficiently rule them. You gave voice to the slaves and downtrodden in the Outer Rim who you inspired to stand up and fight back which got us control of the hyperspace lanes in the Outer Rim. It was almost like listening to Padmé in there," Vader admitted.

Ahsoka briefly wondered if that's what he saw when he looked at her. Padmé. But she shrugged it off. Padmé would always haunt them both in whatever it was between them. The word for it on her homeworld described their relationship best to her, very literally translating in Basic to "my heart," and depending on the inflection and tone could refer to many different types of relationships. But there wasn't an exact word for the concept in Basic when it referred to what she and Vader shared. Mate wasn't right. Lovers might be close but didn't really encompass the word and what Vader was to her. There were a lot of things that described their complicated relationship with each other. Sometimes allies and sometimes antagonists. Sometimes friends and sometimes enemies. Lately lovers, but for a long time just platonic. Life companions or life partners, maybe, was the better way to say it in basic. But even that wasn't quite right. So "her heart," he was. And he knew what she meant by it when she said it, so it didn't matter if anyone else did. Regardless, they were stuck with each other.

And maybe it wasn't Padmé that he saw. Maybe Anakin Skywalker just had a type when it came to outspoken, passionate, and driven with a hint of reckless women. It was something to tease him about later.

"Not just that though," Vader continued. "The bureaucrats and people who've held power for way too long might not like you, but you've got the people's trust. They know who you are. You fought next to them on the battlefield and risked your life for them and the ideas you instilled in them. If we want them to trust this new era of the empire, if we want them to trust someone to help rule them, they need to see someone they can know, trust, and relate to at the head. That's none of the Alliance members or the senators and certainly not the moffs. That's not even me anymore. I betrayed them when I helped Sidious come to power even though I helped overthrow him. Our best chance at this and not going to war again is you. You know it as well as I do. The Force even agrees."

"You had a vision," Ahsoka stated.

"Yes."

Ahsoka started to chide him, but Vader added, "I meditated on it. I think this is a good choice for the here and now and the immediate future too. And if it also brings my vision into fruition, well…"

Ahsoka resisted the urge to sigh again as she wondered exactly what his idea of meditation had been. This man.

"And think. It'll also help improve the human and nonhuman relationships and combat the anti-nonhuman agenda that Sidious championed. A togruta empress. Even in the Republic, it had been a while since there was a non-human chancellor," Vader pointed out.

As much as she denied being a politician, she had gained quite a bit of political and diplomatic savvy over the years. She'd been forced to as she gathered forces and acquired loyalties and put people in positions so that when they made their final move against Sidious, the transition would be as smooth as possible and with as little rebellion as possible. But so it seemed that Vader also had gotten some political and diplomatic savvy despite his preference for negotiating with his lightsaber or a Force choke.

"There's a lot of people who aren't going to like that," Ahsoka finally said.

"What do I care?" Vader said with a shrug. "It makes sense. I get to do what I do best at the helm of the army. The Alliance can stop sweating about my future awful rule, and the Senate gets some of their power back with you at the helm to make sure it doesn't devolve into the inefficient squabbling of the Republic where people's self-interests and their credits ruled the agenda."

"And what do I get out of all this?"

"You get to call yourself empress of the galaxy all at the ripe old age of twenty-eight. Quite the accomplishment if you ask me."

"You know I'm never going to be that ruler that sits in the Senate debating all day and trusts other people to inform me about what's going on?"

"Oh, I know," Vader said with a smirk. "I'll have to show you the designs for the luxury Imperial cruiser that will be your flagship."

"How long have you planned to make me the empress?"

"I've flirted with the idea for a couple of years. Long before we were anything other than intimately close friends," he added before she could point out the obvious. "I'm simply far more effective and comfortable handling military affairs than state ones."

Ahsoka supposed it was a testament to his growth that he could now admit that. Back when all this first started, he had definitely thought otherwise. Her only goal then had been to be a check to his darkness so that (maybe) he'd see reason and get the help of those who could better rule. At the same time, she'd groom one of the twins to eventually take his place because he'd certainly only willingly give up his power to his bloodline. And after that… Ahsoka had planned to revisit things if it had all panned out that way.

Things had changed though. And apparently he'd figured out he wouldn't be a good state leader on his own… and got into his head that she'd make the perfect one, and then come up with surprisingly sound reasoning for the idea. Skywalkers… they could always surprise you.

Ahsoka crossed her arms and turned to look at him before saying, "Suppose I do this. Suppose I become empress. Could I ask for something in exchange?"

He turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. Clearly, he was only humoring her. As far as he was concerned, no matter how much she resisted, Ahsoka was going to sit on a throne and be called empress. And as much as she hated to admit it, Ahsoka knew it too.

"I'm listening."

"Marry me."

Stating her demand without explanation and context was worth the stunned look he gave her.

"Relax. It has nothing to do with some misguided desire for you to prove your devotion to me or something. Nor is it convenience. There's nothing you could give me in a marriage that you haven't already given me. Even without being empress, I have little to no benefit from a marriage to you, despite you being the most powerful man in the galaxy right now," Ahsoka pointed out.

"Great to know how little you need me."

"Don't be so sour. You know what I mean."

"Then why demand it."

"It's politics, my old friend," Ahsoka said, poking him in the chest. "This is a great time of uncertainty for the people. They don't know what's going on. Whether things will just be as bad as they were with Sidious in power or if they're just going to be much worse. They dare not hope for better. But a marriage? A state marriage? That will give them hope, distract them, and appeal to people's traditional sensibilities. Show that we value family in this new era of the Empire and plan to make it a priority. It will also help prove that we'll be making it a priority to do away with Sidious' anti-nonhuman agenda."

"You becoming empress will do that just as well."

"Maybe. But our marriage will bring around those unconvinced by it. And it'll help your image and reputation among the empire. Especially if we make it a grand state affair because surely the empress who the people trust so much wouldn't willingly marry someone who was only capable of evil," Ahsoka said and, despite herself, couldn't keep herself from grinning. Dragging Vader through that was going to be so much fun.

That made Vader narrow his eyes at her and say, "This has nothing to do with politics. Or my image. This is petty revenge."

"I actually did discuss with Mon and Bail over how to make you more… palatable to the broader public. Though I didn't specifically suggest marrying you."

Ahsoka came up with that idea herself _after _she'd argued with the co-leaders in a heated private meeting prior to starting the peace talks negotiations where they had suggested having as a term of treaty with the Empire and part of the new imperial era to have Vader step down from his position and make him face trial for war crimes.

Ahsoka would not have it.

She didn't delude herself. Those first few years of the Empire, Vader had done terrible things under the influence of Palpatine, his grief, and the drunken power of the dark side. Even afterward, though, there was only so much he could do to mitigate the Emperor's damage to help their secret revolution without falling under obvious suspicion of being a double agent by his former master. But no one had come out clean in this war. They all had blood on their hands, starting with the beginning of the Clone Wars. It was the Senate that Bail and Mon held so dear that gave Palpatine his power in the first place. They had all been tricked into thinking they were doing the right thing.

But after failing to convince Bail and Mon on that point alone or under the point that Vader was a greater value to their fledgling new government alive than in a cell since he had sole control over the Imperial Army, Ahsoka relented—on the condition that whatever war crimes Bail and Mon wanted to charge to Vader and other Imperial leaders with they would also charge to their Alliance leaders who were guilty of the same crimes, starting with Ahsoka herself. She would charge no one with any law that she would not also subject herself to. Especially Vader.

To be fair, her attachment to Vader certainly influenced that declaration. But it also felt like the right thing to do. Predictably, Bail and Mon were reluctant to argue that the very de-facto leader of their Alliance—the reason they could even be on Coruscant discussing a treaty and a revised constitution right now—should face trial for war crimes, and that ended the debate.

Ahsoka now knew why people like Padmé and Satine were so anti-war. She hadn't given it much thought when she was just a commander and later general following orders. But now that she was one of those tasked with restructuring a government after a brutal war, she understood. One person perceived something as an act of aggression and retaliated, then the other side retaliated in kind because they didn't think the retaliation was fair until the retaliation got worse with both sides believing they were justified, and people forgot what they were fighting for in the first place.

Someone had to decide to put the weapons down, come to a truce, and fix the havoc they'd wreaked so that maybe their children could actually take over in a few decades with clean hands and not just talk peace, but embody it without being hypocrites. Being forced to put their pride aside and fix this mess was a greater punishment than being sentenced to death for it in a lot of ways.

Ahsoka would deal with all that later though. Tomorrow. And for a very long time afterward, regardless of if she became empress. Right now, get Vader to agree to marry her to help his image and to protect him from the rest of the Alliance that would see him executed if it were up to them, regardless of his now revealed identity as Anakin Skywalker. They wouldn't dare try if he were married to her.

Finally, Ahsoka stated, "That said, it is partly revenge." _Now_, she decided not to add.

"Revenge isn't the way of the Jedi."

"Family isn't the way of the Sith, but you've got children. So here we are," Ahsoka said with a shrug.

"No."

"_Yes_. Maybe we could even get Obi-wan to officiate. Get the rest of the Jedi sympathizers on our side," Ahsoka joked. Though now that she thought about it, that could actually help. Before Vader could give her his doubts about that and outright refuse, Ahsoka continued seriously, "Look. If I have to deal with the headache of being empress for years until one of those sleeping children comes of age to rule and takes over, so I don't have to, then you can deal with a couple of months leading up to our grand state wedding and the day of for the sake of peace in the galaxy."

She poked him in the chest again to punctuate her point, and he rolled his eyes at her, no doubt unimpressed by what he perceived as childish antics.

"We'll continue this discussion tomorrow when we reconvene about the Constitution and the structure of the government with the Alliance and Imperial leaders tomorrow," Vader said, turning back to the window.

Ahsoka did the same with a small smile. "I look forward to it, my heart."

* * *

**AN: **So there it is. The marriage was total politics, and Ahsoka trying to protect Vader from the people who, rightfully, would like to see him brought to trial (or maybe just killed without the trial) for his crimes because toppling a common and worse enemy doesn't absolve Vader from what he's done. But of course, Ahsoka doesn't tell Vader all that because... well, it's Vader she's dealing with. She doesn't want to chance his reaction to the entire circumstance. But as indicated, they could have made her empress without it. The fact that they are the most important people in each other's lives just kinda helps sell the story.

Next chapter we get back to the main story, and Anakin really isn't feeling good about what he becomes in an alternate future, despite the alternate Ahsoka managing to mitigate Vader's evil compulsions. Especially when he probably would have become something much worse. Because what does that say about him...


	20. Chapter 20

**20**

Anakin's body acted on autopilot as Vader finally released all of them from his powerful grip and the onslaught of images and selective memories that he'd decided to show them. He didn't even realize he was on his feet and sprinting out the room and finding the nearest exit to outside until he heard the shouts of Padmé and Ahsoka calling after him. He didn't stop, though, not until he couldn't run anymore. That wasn't far, considering the emotional weight of the images and interactions Vader had shown him making him feel heavy; like he'd collapse and never get back up again. And eventually, he did, right into the grass.

Even though it wasn't that different from what he'd seen at the Lothal temple, seeing it a second time, seeing the actual memories of a version himself that had fallen and the chaos and pain he'd wrecked as a result was so much more concrete than a vision that they might be able to change. So far, he'd been carefully othering the two time travelers. They were versions of him and his ex-padawan. Like clones, maybe, but still not really them.

Except they were. Vader was Anakin, no matter how much he tried to separate it. Anakin was the man that would almost singlehandedly destroy the Jedi Order and plunge the galaxy into darkness. He would force Obi-wan to a duel to the death. He was the one that would be responsible for Padmé's death and his children being hidden from him for their own safety. And he'd threaten and try to kill Ahsoka. He'd destroy everything he'd ever tried so hard to protect.

He was a monster.

"Ani," he heard Padmé say as she appeared next to him and tried to reach for him.

"Don't touch me," he snapped, recoiling from her touch. "Get away from me."

"Anakin," Padmé said, standing her ground even as Anakin clumsy scrambled to try to get to his feet and away from her.

"Padmé," Anakin heard Ahsoka from where she was behind them.

There must have been some kind of silent exchange between the two because while Padmé didn't back away, she didn't try to approach him again either.

For a long time, the three of them stood in the quiet plains of Varykino until finally Anakin couldn't take it anymore and said, "How can you two stand to keep looking at me? How can you not be afraid to be in the same space as me?"

"Because you're not Darth Vader. You haven't fallen to the dark side. And if Padmé and I have anything to do with it, you won't," Ahsoka said with that determined edge that promised reckless antics to come.

"You're Anakin Skywalker," Padmé added. "The man I fell in love with, my husband, and the father of our children. There are things we have to talk about. A lot of things. But that doesn't make you destined to become an evil man and do evil things."

"But I already have," Anakin said. "I've…"

And that was the problem. He'd already done evil things. Things he hadn't thought twice about in the name of the greater good he was accomplishing. Things that, to his horror, he couldn't find it in himself to regret. And wasn't that what helped create Vader. Wasn't that how he had rationalized killing the Jedi. The best decision at the time for the future he wanted, and even now the man didn't seem very apologetic for it besides admitting it may have been done in haste, and he didn't have to be as thorough as he'd been.

"But that's not all your fault. We've all been complicit in this. All done evil things by allowing this war to continue far beyond what it should have."

"Not just the war," Anakin said. He appreciated Padmé's attempts to make him out not to be the monster that he really was, but all it did was remind him of how much he didn't deserve her. That one day, she was going to try to appeal to his better nature, and in return, all he was going to do was hurt her. "When my mother died…"

He didn't have to finish. Padmé got the point. He'd killed men, women, and children indiscriminately for the crimes of a few. Just like Vader had the entire Order.

"Yes. That's true," Padmé gave. She sounded tense, like it pained her to admit it. "But you're not too far gone. You can still come back. If Vader could manage to come back—"

"He didn't come back," Anakin protested. While his alternate self hid it very well, he was still very much an agent of the dark side, still the Sith Master. The man had made that very clear back on Lothal.

"Maybe not," Ahsoka said, finally interjecting. "But while maybe he was too far gone to let the darkness go, he did at least learn how to tame the darkness and use it in the service of good. He made a choice. And I think… I think maybe that was the point of what Vader was trying to show us. If it wasn't too late to pull him from the depths of the dark side he'd gone to and learn to tame it, it's certainly not too late for you."

And that was the crux of the matter. Was it too late to turn back? So many times he'd done things, made decisions because he'd already done one evil thing, what was the harm of another? He hadn't really considered that train of thought as a choice. But when he looked at it like that, it made falling to the dark side less and less of an inevitability. Was it all that simple?

"And you don't have to make that choice by yourself," Ahsoka continued before saying, "I get it. The pressure put on you because of some prophecy of you being the 'Chosen one.' That you'll be the one to tip the scales back into balance. But that doesn't mean you have to do it by yourself. I don't think you can do it by yourself or that you were ever meant to. Vader couldn't. It took my other self to help him figure it out. And you can't do it by yourself either. But that means we're going to have to trust each other. That you're going to have to trust us. Like you trusted Sidious… Palpatine."

And as always, Ahsoka was always great at pointing out the bantha in the room. Sidious. Palpatine. His friend. His mentor. The man he thought he could trust. His confidant when no one else would understand. Always willing to give Anakin a sympathetic ear and tell him exactly what it was that he wanted to hear when no one else would. The only one who accepted who he was without judgment, without telling him that it wasn't the Jedi way or that it was contrary to democracy. It had all been a lie just to gain his loyalty and help the Sith on his rise to power while at the same time taking everything he ever loved.

Even now that he knew that, though, Anakin was having a hard time reconciling it. And maybe, even with the evidence right in front of him, would have had a hard time believing it at all if not for his conversation with Vader when the older man had outright asked him if he'd kill the Sith Lord if it were someone close to him.

"We want to help you, Anakin," Ahsoka said. "But there can't be any more secrets between us if we're going to do that. No more lies. No more half-truths. No matter what you think we're going to say or think. If we don't, even knowing how all this plays out, Palpatine is still going to win."

Anakin huffed. He'd been hiding secrets for so long that he didn't know if he'd be able to break the habit. It just came naturally. Unless it was Palpatine. But maybe the only reason he thought Palpatine understood was because he didn't give anyone else a chance to. How could anyone understand if he wasn't honest with them? He tapped into the Force for… Anakin wasn't sure what. Comfort? Guidance? Encouragement. Anything that would let him know what the right choice was. But while he felt its warm presence around him, it was silent, as though waiting on him to decide what to do first.

Well, it wouldn't hurt to try. He already knew what the alternative was.

"Okay," Anakin agreed. "No more secrets."

Finally, Padmé and Ahsoka dared to approach and sat next to him on either side of him in the grass. Padmé grasped one hand, his flesh left hand. And Ahsoka reached to grab the other, gently and carefully prying something out of it. His lightsaber, Anakin realized once she had it in her grasp. A tension that he didn't realize had been present eased, and he sensed a metaphorical sigh of relief in the Force as she hooked in on the side of her belt furthest away from him where both her own lightsabers were.

Finally, Padmé said, "We need a plan to take down Palpatine. And we need to do it fast."

Anakin growled, feelings of betrayal settling into his heart as he began to recognize just who Palpatine was, what he had done, and why. He'd never cared about Anakin himself. He just cared about his power and what it could accomplish for him. And to get Anakin on his side, he'd given him a few false compliments and the recognition he hadn't gotten from the Order. All the while pulling the strings of both sides of the war, putting the people he cared about and was trying to protect in danger with plans of getting them all out the way in the end, and making Anakin blame himself and everyone else for it instead of the real mastermind.

"Here's the plan. The plan is we're going right back to Coruscant, and I'm going to kill him," Anakin declared as he latched onto the anger and betrayal at the man he'd called a friend.

"And then you'll be the one facing a trial for treason and assassinating the Chancellor," Ahsoka said in a sardonic tone. "That much I know based on what my other self said. Let's think this one through a little more than that."

Anakin groaned but grudgingly agreed.

"The key is exposing him first," Padmé said. "I've got all my research and information with me. There has to be something there. I just don't know where to start."

"Well, we've actually got two people who might be able to help us with that," Anakin said. He stood to his feet and helped Padme up while Ahsoka took it upon herself to do so.

The other Ahsoka and Vader were standing just at the top of the steps, obviously having been watching them earlier. Once they got to the top of the steps, the two groups simply watched each other for a while before Anakin looked at the other Ahsoka with his arms crossed, deciding to channel his anger and frustration into messing with her.

"Alright, _Empress_," Anakin began.

He smirked as the other Ahsoka glared at the mocking way he referred to her. Vader, on the other hand, seemed to share Anakin's amusement.

"You've been ruling a galaxy like ours for what? Ten years or so now?" Anakin guessed based on the few memories Vader had shown them. "Even if you didn't need to, surely you managed to find and put together a little information about how Palpatine orchestrated this war. So point us in the direction of some proof of it so I won't be arrested when I kill him."

Still clearly unimpressed, the other Ahsoka gave him a final glare before looking at Padmé and asking, "Just what have you and your loyalist committee compiled?"

Padmé gestured for them to go inside where her all the research they had compiled so far were on datapads that she'd brought with her for the trip with more where that come from that she'd been sent securely one they arrived.

Once Padmé managed to gather everything she had, Padmé and Ahsoka began to pour over it as they went back and forth over exactly how they could get the Senate's cooperation. But more and more, as Padmé and the other Ahsoka began to throw around jargon and legalese that Vader seemed to follow but wasn't interested in and that Anakin and Ahsoka were lost about the moment the conversation began. But it was becoming clearer and clearer that this was all going to boil down to _if _they could get the Senate to cooperate with them.

Anakin first brought up the idea of exposing Palpatine as the Sith Lord to which the older Ahsoka immediately dismissed, saying that the Republic's anti-discrimination laws would prevent the Senate from persecuting Sidious and allowing them to get away with killing him because the Jedi had a religious disagreement with the man. She also pointed out that they overestimated the fact that the Senate, let alone the broader public, knew what a Sith Lord was.

"When we finally took him down, the fact that he was a Sith Lord, while significant, was irrelevant to the broader public. And even with me leading a revolution against him, the Jedi were pretty much legend. They're little more than legend now. The vast majority of beings will go their whole lives without hearing more than a few whispers about the Jedi, especially on worlds where there's no holonet access. And part of that is because of how secretive the Order currently is," she pointed out matter-of-factly.

She and Padmé went back and forth on a few ideas before finally, after a few hours of combing through the information, the alternate Ahsoka declared, "This is taking way too long. The ending of the war will be in just a few months. This info would take longer than that to comb through. And for every moment we sit here looking, Palpatine is adjusting his plan because of me and Vader being here, and this info becomes outdated. We don't have the kind of time or resources an investigation like this will take."

"So we're back to my original plan," Anakin said smugly. "Kill Palpatine. Let the pieces fall where they may."

"Yes," Padmé said in the same longsuffering tone that the alternate Ahsoka had with Vader back on the ship when they argued on the way to Lothal. "But we need something. Something that will at the very least implicate Palpatine, so when you go to _arrest _him, we'll have grounds for it."

Anakin sighed. This is why he hated politics.

"I think I know where you could find that proof," Vader suddenly said and everyone turned to look at him. "But it's going to be dangerous. And it might force us to show our hand and could potentially give Sidious a temporary advantage if we don't act fast enough once we have it."

"Sounds right up our alley," Anakin replied. Finally, something he could do something about.

"Sidious knew very well eventually that I was plotting against him though he didn't know the finer details. There were places in the Imperial palace that not even I could access. Later on, I found that he'd remotely stored volumes of information and plans that I could have used to undermine him when he was alive. There was a failsafe on it, though, in the event that he died for the archives of information to be erased. But what I managed to salvage was, at the very least useful to get rid of any of his remaining loyal agents and stop some of his other plans just in case," Vader explained.

"What's your point?" Ahsoka asked bluntly, raising one of her eye markings at the man.

"My point," Vader began, "is that if he had a remote archive and intranet like that in our timeline after the rise of the Empire, he probably has something like that in this timeline. Likely in his private office or—"

"In his personal apartments," Padmé finished for him. "We have to go back to Coruscant."

"Unfortunately," Vader groaned, "I agree with you."

"Are you going to be fine going back there?" the alternate Ahsoka asked. "If the Council senses you…"

Vader scoffed. "They couldn't even sense that the Sith Lord had taken over the Senate and was right under their noses."

"That's not totally fair," the alternate Ahsoka said. "The Force is clouded here. I knew who he was and had a hard time sensing him in the muddle of the Force."

"She's right. The dark side has been clouding everything," Anakin admitted. He should know. Differences with the Order aside, that much was true. It made sense that Palpatine had blended right in with it. "And we may need their help. It wouldn't hurt to have the backing of the Order on this one. Even if we don't tell them everything."

"And how are we going to get that, Skyguy?" Ahsoka asked with her arms crossed. "I'm essentially a rogue, and they don't trust you, let alone alternate versions of us from another timeline, and that's without mentioning that Vader's a Sith. And when it comes to matters of the Jedi and Sith, they don't take too kindly to outside input, so Padmé can't help there."

"You said if we were going to make this happen, there couldn't be any more secrets between us," Anakin said. "Well, there's one more person that needs to be brought into the loop."

"Obi-wan," Ahsoka stated.

And Anakin really, really didn't want to. It was one thing to bring Ahsoka in on everything. She'd left the Jedi. And now, she seemed to regard the Jedi Order and Council with even less reverence than he did since she left, at least when it came to some things. But he wasn't sure about Obi-wan. He was on the Council for one and was always fussing at Anakin about the Jedi way and keeping his feelings and emotions in check and about the Jedi mandate. He could already see the disappointed look that Obi-wan was going to give him when he told him everything.

But he had to. No matter how Obi-wan reacted. No matter how disappointed the man might be in him. Even if he didn't understand. But maybe he would understand if Anakin just gave the man a chance. How could Obi-wan understand at all if Anakin had never been all the way truthful with him in the first place? Maybe… Ahsoka had known about him and Padmé all this time, maybe Obi-wan had known too and also been turning a blind eye. Anakin could distinctly remember telling the man that he was just friends with Padmé and Obi-wan giving him a pointed and knowing look before reminding him to be cautious of his feelings and leaving the matter alone.

Maybe Obi-wan wouldn't be as unsympathetic as he thought.

As he allowed hope to blossom in his chest, Anakin said, "We need his help. He can help us get the backing of the Council."

"You really think he'll overlook your supposed indiscretions and help, no questions asked?" Vader asked.

Vader's question gave Anakin pause. Apparently, there were things he hadn't sorted out with his Obi-wan in his timeline, but Anakin pushed his hesitation aside. He wasn't Vader yet. He wasn't going to become him at all.

"No. He's going to ask a lot of questions," Anakin said with a sigh. Then he grinned and said, "But can you just imagine the look on his face when he sees there's two of us? He's going to age ten years."

* * *

**AN: **Anakin whump fest. Yeah. Didn't mean for this chapter to be that way but the young man has to come face to face with his demons at some point. It's far from over though. Lots more internal conflict for our favorite Jedi who may or may not fall to the dark side to deal with. This is only the beginning, but we're heading to the final part of the story. The third act, so to speak. Are you ready?

In other news, I've actually finished writing the whole thing. 32 chapters (Nearly 100k words), including the epilogue. Twice as long as I thought it was going to be when I first started writing it to "get it out of my system." If my dear readers collectively inspire or push me enough, I'll probably update more frequently. Regardless, within the next two months, you'll have a complete story. The first fanfic I've had the motivation to finish in years. After that... I suppose I'll be taking requests for this universe outside the massive story of how the alternate Anakin and Ahsoka took down Palpatine and became each other's "heart."

Anywho, keep the reviews, favorites, and follows coming. I really appreciate it.


	21. Chapter 21

**21**

Anakin had been right. The look on Obi-wan's face when greeted with the stone-faced older, alternate version of himself had been priceless. He looked between Anakin and Vader for a few moments at a sheer loss for words.

Seeming to get great amusement from the whole thing, Vader smirked and said, "Hello, Obi-wan."

Then Anakin's former master turned to him, and with a firm and exasperated, "_Anakin,_" demanded an explanation. One that Anakin willingly, though not happily, gave with the help of everyone else involved.

"So, let me make sure I have this straight," Obi-wan said with an arm crossed over his chest and a hand pinching the bridge of his nose like he always did when Anakin had gotten himself involved in something that only he could. "Palpatine is the Sith Lord."

"Yes," Anakin said.

"He's been grooming you to be his next apprentice."

"Yes."

"In an alternate timeline, you do become his apprentice."

"That's him," Anakin said, pointing at Vader.

"He betrays the Republic, destroys the Jedi Order, and helps Palpatine become emperor. And then she," Obi-wan pointed to the older Ahsoka who was standing next to Vader looking like she was taking great amusement from all this, "convinces him to come to a truce to overthrow Sidious so Vader can become emperor, and then he makes her empress."

"So far so good," Ahsoka said, looking too like she was trying not to laugh.

"And the remnant of Sidious' servants decided it was a good idea to go back in time to try to kill Ahsoka before she could make her truce only they came to an alternate universe, got in touch with Dooku, who informed Sidious, who knows they're," Obi-wan said pointing to the two time travelers, "here and wants to learn about the time and dimension traveling and has probably changed his original plan, possibly putting not just our timeline but also the other timeline in danger. And to stop him, you want my help and the Order's help to commit treason?"

"It's already treason, Obi-wan," Padmé stated. "We just need you to help us commit more of it."

"And besides," Anakin said with a shrug. "It won't be treason once we expose Sidious, kill him, and win."

"Arrest him, Anakin. We want to _arrest_ him," Padmé reminded firmly.

"I can't imagine Palpatine will take too happily to that," Ahsoka pointed out wryly.

Obi-wan sighed. "Am I missing anything else?"

"Oh! Yeah! There is _one _more thing. Two things really," Anakin said, feigning cheerfulness to hide his anxiety. "Padmé and I are married."

"Married?" Obi-wan asked, demanded really, in surprise.

"Yep. Since the beginning of the war. And she's pregnant."

"Pregnant?"

"Twins," Anakin added. "Luke and Leia. Or at least, that's what our alternate selves named them. Has a nice ring to it, though. So why try to circumvent destiny and change it?"

Obi-wan sighed and asked once more, "Anything _else_?"

Anakin looked back at the two time travelers standing a little ways away. They both shrugged, and Anakin turned back to Obi-wan and said, "At some point, they got married too."

Obi-wan took another deep breath and then said, "That is the_ least_ surprising thing I've learned knowing everything else you just told me. And you all are okay with all this?"

Anakin, Padmé, and Ahsoka all looked at each other before shrugging and turning back to Obi-wan.

"It was shocking at first," Ahsoka admitted.

"To say the least, I'm sure," Obi-wan replied.

"But we've had a few days to get adjusted to it all," Anakin said. "And it's like Master Yoda says. The future is always in motion. Things are already way different in this timeline. Some things for the better."

"Most of it for the worse," Vader pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's why you all are going to help us fix it," Anakin replied, "since you're stuck here until you find a way back anyway."

"Anakin," Obi-wan began, "you've gotten yourself into a lot of situations over the years, but _this _tops everything."

"So… you'll help us?" Anakin asked, hopefully.

"Of course, I'm going to help you. I'm quite frankly terrified of what will happen if I don't. But don't think that because I understand that the Sith Lord running the Republic is the most pressing matter right now that you're off the hook. You and I are going to be having a _very long_ talk after all this," Obi-wan said with a pointed glare at Anakin.

"Yes, Master," Anakin said. He wasn't even going to argue with that. He owed Obi-wan that. And at least he was willing to hear him out. He wasn't going to run telling the Council. That was more than he could have demanded, and Anakin knew it.

Obi-wan gave Anakin one final withering look and then said, "Alright. What's you all's plan?"

They hashed out the broader details of their plan for a few hours on Naboo before deciding that it was best not to continue to test the Council's patience and that they should make their way back to Coruscant. They also unanimously agreed that it was probably a good idea not to mention to the Council about the true nature of Anakin's alternate self, though it was obvious Obi-wan was hesitant about bringing Vader unrestrained to the temple.

"Relax," Vader had said, sensing the man's apprehension once they dropped out of hyperspace. "I have no inclination to destroy your order in this timeline."

Maybe he didn't, Anakin noticed, but Vader certainly wasn't looking forward to being at the Jedi Temple and before the Council again. That much, Anakin was sure of. Vader wasn't the only one that wasn't particularly excited about this meeting, though.

"Chin up, Snips," Anakin said to her as Vader flew them into Coruscant's atmosphere. "At least when you left, it was because the Order screwed you over. Can't say the same about Vader over there."

"It not me I'm worried about," Ahsoka replied quietly.

Anakin crossed his arms and gave her a skeptical look.

"It's not," Ahsoka insisted. "Not all the way. It's… What do you think the Council will do if they find out that in another timeline, you became Vader? That if our timelines hadn't collided, that vision we saw on Lothal…"

When they agreed not to reveal Vader's true nature to the Council, that worry had gone unsaid even though it was primarily the reason they agreed to it, never mind that the Council wouldn't want to accept help from a Sith Lord. The Sith Master of his own timeline, technically. Anakin hadn't wanted to think about it much. He already had a tenuous relationship with the Council as it was. They certainly wouldn't mind punishing him for a crime that he hadn't committed yet as a precaution. A crime he was now determined not to commit now that he was aware of the possibility of it happening.

"They aren't. Don't worry about it," Anakin assured.

"But what if they do?" Ahsoka pressed.

Anakin started to come up with some roundabout reason why it was nothing to worry about, until he realized that of all people, Ahsoka had the greatest reason to worry about it. They'd expelled her and sent her to face a military tribunal without their backing on tenuous circumstantial evidence, at best, that wasn't really evidence at all. They certainly had a lot more reason to punish him, even for a crime he hadn't committed yet. Vader would be all the evidence they needed.

"We'll deal with that if we have to," Anakin replied.

"Sure," Ahsoka replied and tried to smile, but it didn't quite meet her eyes.

There was something else bothering her. Anakin could sense it. But like on Lothal when he'd wanted to press it with her, other matters than needed their attention came up. Namely that they'd landed at the Jedi Temple, and that Yoda and Mace Windu were there to greet them.

"We're in so much trouble," Anakin said with a sigh.

"Nothing new," Ahsoka said cheerily, her previous melancholy set aside for now. "Besides, just think of Master Windu's face when he sees there's two of you. That's going to be better than Obi-wan."

Anakin took a moment to laugh before they headed to the landing ramp. Vader and the alternate Ahsoka were already standing at the top of it, though still within the shadow of the ship, so the Jedi Masters at the bottom couldn't see them.

"Vader," the alternate Ahsoka said in a warning tone as she faced him.

"I know," Vader said with a mischievous grin as he pulled up his black hood, the shadows managing to obscure all his features. "You do all the talking. I just stand behind you and look threatening."

Her eyes very clearly showed her amusement, even though she tried to glare at him before she turned to face the ramp with him.

This time, rather than leading the way like she usually tended to (and knowing she was an empress in her own timeline, that now made a lot of sense), the Ahsoka's alternate self gestured for Anakin and Obi-wan to lead the way. Ahsoka and Padmé followed, with the two time travel's bringing up the rear.

"Master Yoda. Master Windu," Anakin greeted with a slight bow after Obi-wan had.

"Skywalker," Mace said firmly. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

He guessed they were dispensing with pleasantries then.

"Ahsoka Tano. Good to see you, well and unharmed, it is," Yoda said.

"It's good to see you as well, Master," Ahsoka said with the same practiced ease and humbleness before their superiors that they all learned as younglings in the temple.

"Come, come. Much to discuss, we have," Yoda said as he directed them into the Temple.

Anakin supposed they were going to wait to leave the question of why Padmé was with them and who their new acquaintance was for the official meeting.

Seeing as it was the middle of the day, there were quite a few Jedi roaming the halls, and Anakin already knew the news that he had returned with his ex-padawan in tow with two newcomers would spread to every ear by the time the day was out. Hopefully, it wouldn't go beyond that.

The rest of the members who were planet-side had already convened while those that weren't had already comm'd in by holo. Mace, Yoda, and Obi-wan took their seats while Anakin, Ahsoka, Padmé, and the two time travelers stood in the middle. Already, Anakin had a feeling this was not going to go the way they planned if the tension he sensed from Vader, heavily shielded as his presence was, was anything to go by. While the alternate Ahsoka already had her hood off, her presence among them already known, Vader kept his face carefully hidden.

The Council waited expectantly for them to explain, and as they had planned, Anakin got straight to the point.

"Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith Lord we've been looking for."

As expected, shock rang through the members of the Council, and a few of them even showed it.

"That's a steep accusation to make, Skywalker," Mace pointed out.

Yoda nodded in agreement. "Proof, have you?"

Anakin started to say that he saw it in a vision but decided that might not go over well, and instead pointed in Vader's direction and said, "Him."

The all turned their attention to Vader, and finally, he let down his hood looking a lot more indifferent about standing before the Council than Anakin was sure he felt.

"Masters," Vader greeted politely though he didn't bow, not even so much as nod his head in respect. And the feeling that this wasn't going to go the way they planned increased.

"Another time traveler," Kit Fitso's hologram said though he sounded amused.

Ahsoka was right about Mace, though. While to the casual outsider, his expression betrayed nothing, it was obvious he hadn't expected Anakin's alternate self to have come through the timelines either.

Before anyone could ask the man anything, the alternate Ahsoka intervened and said, "My apologies for not notifying you that there was a possibility that my Anakin had followed me here. It was originally not our intention to intervene with the course of time as it flowed here. However, upon the discovery that Darth Sidious, Palpatine, knew we were here and planned to figure out how to manipulate the time stream, we felt it… prudent to intervene."

"And you're not concerned that you're putting your future at stake by changing the circumstances that lead to it?"

"Our timeline is perfectly intact. It might not be if we don't find a way to stop the Palpatine of this time from rising. And the fallout of it in your timeline will certainly be worse than the fallout of it in ours was," the alternate Ahsoka replied.

"From the future, you are. But not this future, hm?" Yoda assumed.

"They're not," Anakin replied.

"Then how can you ask us to trust that the information they bring us is accurate as it pertains to our present, let alone the future," Mace asked.

"You can trust me. We've talked it over. He's shown me what happens in their timeline, and what will happen in ours if we don't do something to stop it. It could mean the difference between the survival or destruction of the Order," Anakin snapped as his temper began to get the best of him. He hated having to play this game of diplomacy and politics in the Order of all places.

"While all that is true," Obi-wan said, deciding to intervene, "I don't think they're asking you to. Hence, Senator Amidala's presence with us today, I'm assuming."

Padmé nodded her head respectfully to the masters. "I can help you take down Palpatine, the Sith Lord. But for you all to safely be able to plan to arrest him, I need the proof to bring before the senate, or else Palpatine will accuse the Order of treason."

"And where is this proof?"

"Either in his office or personal apartments. But to get it, we need the help of the Order to approve a covert operation to get it," Padmé explained. "On behalf of the Republic, I'm asking if we can count on your assistance."

There was a long pause before one of the Masters said, "I don't like this. You're asking us to act on the word of two strangers, regardless of their familiarity, who have thus far not given us a reason to trust them."

"It's not their word. I saw what's going to happen if we don't act now," Anakin said.

"Then perhaps your other self would oblige to show us what he showed you. And then maybe we can ascertain the truth of this matter and how much is relevant to our timeline," Mace suggested.

"He can't," Anakin said tightly.

"Why not?"

"You're just going to have to trust me on this," Anakin said. "Obi-wan believed us."

"Contrary to your beliefs, while Master Kenobi sits on this Council, he cannot make unilateral decisions on its behalf."

Anakin paused, the tension palpable as he debated what to do. How to convince the masters to believe him on this. Since coming back to Coruscant, he could sense the tides turning against them. Vader and the alternate Ahsoka had shown him than in their world, Sidious made his moves months from now. But with everything happening, Anakin doubted they had the luxury of months. Sidious was going to make a move very soon. But by giving them the proof they wanted, he might end up condemning himself, and the Council might be even harder to convince.

Before he could come up with anything, though, Vader said, "You've _got _to be kriffing kidding me."

"_Anakin_," the alternate Ahsoka whispered in a warning tone, but Vader wasn't hearing it.

"We didn't have to come to you. We can get what we need and take down Palpatine without your approval. But because it would be easier to have the backing of the Order in case things go wrong and because for some reason, after all you've put him through and your obvious distrust for him, Skywalker still has respect for the Council and its protocols left, we came to you for help, despite my personal distaste for doing so," Vader said raising his voice and ignoring the alternate Ahsoka's hand on his arm to try to calm him down.

He snatched his arm away from her as he continued, "You think he'd just approach you with this information, this possibility, if he weren't sure it could save you? If it were anyone else, you'd take their word at face value. But because it's your so-called problem child, now there's an issue. How can you expect the public to trust you when you can't even trust one of your own, your supposed Chosen One at that? That distrust and fear is exactly what Palpatine is going to use against you to destroy your Order and the reason why there's not going to be any public outcry when he does. So are you going to follow your mandate to protect _democracy _and the Republic and back us up on this when the time comes? Or are we on our own?"

The ultimatum hung in the air along with the rising tension. From the Council at Vader's outburst and from everyone else out of worry that Vader might give them away.

"The Council will need to deliberate further on the matter," Mace said firmly.

"Deliberate?" Vader growled, taking a step forward. "How about you deli—"

"Anakin," the alternate Ahsoka said louder grabbing his arm and turning him to her. She looked Vader directly in the eye, and there was an intense but silent exchange between the two before finally, Vader rolled his eyes. Hard.

Then he turned back to the masters and said in a scornful tone, "Thank you, _Masters_," before promptly dismissing himself from the chambers.

"I see even after two decades that your version of Skywalker still has yet to learn to control his temper," Mace pointed out.

The alternate Ahsoka turned her attention back to the Council, put on the indifferent stare that Anakin recognized from knowing Padmé all this time as the "politician's mask."

"With all due respect, Masters, I believe that we have very different ideas of the meaning of 'control.'" The alternate Ahsoka bowed and, like Vader before her, dismissed herself from the room.

Anakin waited for the signal for the Council for dismissal before bowing himself and leaving with Ahsoka and Padmé trailing behind him.

* * *

**AN: **To celebrate the 100 review marker, here's the chapter early! Yay!

Anywho, this chapter was so much fun to write for a lot of different reasons. Poor Obi-wan getting all this dumped on him for one. Hence why he was very reluctant to let Padmé, Anakin, and the alternate Ahsoka go off in the first place almost twenty chapters ago. Then Vader... Of course, he can't keep his mouth shut in front of the Council. There was no iteration of them standing in front of the Council with Vader where he didn't lose his patience but hey. He didn't kill anyone. That's a win. And the alternate Ahsoka clearly knows that.

After this chapter, things really start getting kicked into gear. There are going to be so many great and wonderful (surprising too) interactions.

Thanks for all the comments, kudos, and subscribes. Keep them coming. I love your speculation and encouragement.


	22. Chapter 22

**22**

Unafraid of him as she was, at the very least, Ahsoka's older, alternate self appreciated that it was a bad idea to let a pissed off Sith Lord roam the halls of the Jedi Temple or the streets of Coruscant for that matter. Vader was still in the Temple, that much the woman knew, but apparently Vader had blocked her from finding him.

Ahsoka's older self suggested they split up and sent Anakin off in one direction while the women would cover the others.

"So, where exactly are we starting our search for Vader?" Ahsoka asked her other self after her former master had gone.

"Nowhere," her other self declared as she turned to head to the Temple hanger, picking up Artoo along the way. "Vader has enough control over his temper that he won't bring hellfire down on the temple. If he didn't, most of the High Council would be dead, and Palpatine would be the least of our problems. I'm more concerned that he'll alert the Temple to the fact that he's a Sith."

Ahsoka started to ask what her other self meant by that until she paused and became away of the dark cloud that seemed to settle over the temple. If the Force weren't already so muddled with the dark side as it was on Coruscant, everyone would have known there was a Sith in their midst.

"Anakin will find Vader and deal with his tantrum," her other self continued.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Padmé asked carefully. "Explosive as both their tempers can be?"

"They'll be fine," the alternate Ahsoka said absently as she looked for a speeder to take. "Back home, I'd just challenge him to a sparring match to get it out of his system. But this will have to do. Besides, this gives us time to plan."

Ahsoka's alternate self finally picked a speeder she was satisfied with and urged Padmé and Ahsoka into it.

"Time to plan what?"

"How we're going to infiltrate Sidious' office and personal apartments to get the information we need to stop him."

"Wait. I thought we were waiting for the approval of the Council?" Ahsoka asked in confusion as her other self sped off.

"They'll be deliberating about this for days. We don't have that kind of time. They've been apprised of the situation. Obi-wan will get them to see things our way, so by the time we've gotten the information, they'll be on our side," the alternate Ahsoka said as she drove in the direction of Padmé's apartments.

No one spoke again until they were making their way up the elevator and to Padmé's apartments.

"Anakin's driving has rubbed off on you," Padmé pointed out.

"A lot of things about him have rubbed off on me in over twenty years," Ahsoka's older self said as they stepped off the elevator and walked to her apartments.

Instinctively, both Ahsoka and her alternate self stepped into the apartment first, reaching out into the Force to alert them for threats before they both nodded in satisfaction and said to Padmé, "It's safe."

They headed into Padmé's home office and gathered on the couch where Ahsoka's older self took a datapad out her pocket.

"What are we doing?" Ahsoka asked.

"Looking at the blueprints for the Senate and the Chancellor suites," the older togruta replied.

"And how did you get your hands on it?" Padmé asked.

"I might have given myself remote access to the Temple archives."

"Wait a minute. H-how?" Ahsoka stuttered at her older self.

"When I first arrived and asked for access to the archives to research this time travel thing."

"Anakin let you?" Ahsoka asked. Her master was generally a rule breaker, but she didn't think he'd let anyone get away with that.

"No. He didn't know. Master Nu came and stood right over my shoulder while I was doing it too. They both assumed I was just downloading some texts," Ahsoka's older self said, sounding quite pleased with herself.

"That's a huge security breach," Ahsoka said, still in disbelief and maybe a little awe.

"I know. But don't worry. It's not something your run of the mill hacker can figure out. And it takes a fair amount using the Force to see the weaknesses in the system to do it."

"And where did you learn it?" Padmé asked.

"I picked up a thing or two leading a rebellion and later being Empress."

"Does Vader know how to do that?" Ahsoka asked.

"He can manipulate technology and stop droid armies with the Force if he wants. Of course, he knows how," the alternate Ahsoka said as the blueprint for the Senate burst to life on a large holo that filled the room.

"Any other talents you want to fill us in on?" Ahsoka asked.

"Not really," her other self said smugly. "Just know there is very little that I can't do or go up against. Vader made certain of that," the alternate Ahsoka said with a small smile. Then she began to point at the hologram, swiftly moving on to more pressing matters.

It was clear that at some point, probably back on Naboo when they were waiting for Obi-wan, that her alternate self had used her remote access to plan how they were going to sneak into the Senate building and Palpatine's personal chancellor apartments. Ahsoka would accompany Padmé to the senate to get into Palpatine's office and see what they could find while the alternate Ahsoka herself would infiltrate Palpatine's apartments.

"Anakin's not going to like this plan of yours. Neither of them," Ahsoka added.

"Even they'll be able to see the reason in this. Neither can claim subtlety as a strength. Besides, if Palpatine catches on to what we're doing, if he hasn't already, we'll need the two of them free to confront him and the handlers he may send to try to stop us," the alternate Ahsoka said. "We'll have to play it by ear. But this plan isn't really the reason that I took the opportunity to talk to you without Anakin and Vader."

The alternate Ahsoka's voice took on a solemn tone at this point, reminding Ahsoka of when Padmé was performing her function as a senator and giving her the feeling she wasn't going to like what her other self was about to say.

"While you both have witnessed Vader using the power of the dark side, you have not truly witnessed him completely immersed and drunk on its power. After years of using it, though, he has a much more vast control over his own destructive impulses and the dark side than they have over him, and I know how to pull him back over that edge when needed. However, that is a skill your Anakin will not have if he falls."

"What are you talking about?" Ahsoka asked.

Her other self smiled a little. "Still in denial about the darkness that your master flirts so dangerously with, even after your experience on Lothal. I understand your desire to focus on the kind man that you know him to be, but denying the dark side of him helps no one. Especially not Anakin himself, which is why I'm going to tell you this. Anakin will have to confront the dark side. It's been prophesized by both the Sith and the Jedi for centuries, though both sides have gravely misinterpreted it, I think. None, however, have been able to fathom how that confrontation would play out in history."

"If you're trying to tell us something, you should probably just say it," Padmé said quietly but firmly.

The alternate Ahsoka stood and went to the window to look out into the sunset skies of Coruscant. Finally, she said, "In the event that Anakin Skywalker falls, you must leave. Both of you. Together. Get as far away from Coruscant as possible. Protect the children and wait for him to find you. Hopefully, by then, he will have learned to exercise some control over his temper and the dark side."

"No," Ahsoka said promptly.

"He won't fall," Padmé declared. "I won't let him."

"I'm afraid that's not up to you all. In our determination to make sure that he doesn't fall, I sense that we may have only hastened the arrival of the time that he will have to confront the darkness, and I'm not sure he's prepared to resist its call."

"But he saw what could happen. He wouldn't choose it knowing what will happen if he makes that choice," Padmé said.

"I think all of us know that one of Anakin's greatest weaknesses is that he thinks he can go toe to toe with destiny. And sometimes he wins, but others…" the alternate Ahsoka trailed off with a sigh. Then she continued, "Surely you've noticed how much of a toll the revelations of the last few weeks have had on him. In his determination to stop these futures, he may still bring them to fruition. He's more vulnerable to the pull of the dark side now than he ever was." Her older self turned around to face Ahsoka and then added, "And you _know _it."

And that was the hard part. Ahsoka did know it. She'd felt the shift after Vader had shown them how events in their timeline had played out. She'd sensed the conflict in Anakin; the desperate desire to do anything to make sure that what he'd seen wouldn't come to fruition; how the darkness had eagerly leeched onto his negative emotions. It's why both she and Padmé had run after him on Naboo; why Ahsoka kept Padmé from approaching him when she noticed his lightsaber in his hand; why Ahsoka had taken his lightsaber and hadn't given it back until right before Obi-wan's arrival when Anakin was feeling less desperate and more hopeful. That desperation had increased while talking to the Council, though Vader's interruption had certainly helped Anakin not to focus on it.

"She's right," Ahsoka found herself saying quietly.

"No. We can't leave him when he needs us the most. We can't—" Padmé began indignantly, but Ahsoka interrupted her.

"I _know_, Padmé. I agree with you. But she's right. We have to protect the twins. And if worse comes to worst, you have to leave. Somewhere far away, where Anakin wouldn't think to look immediately." Padmé opened her mouth to protest, but Ahsoka added quickly, "And while you go, I'll stay here and fight to bring him back."

Both Padmé and her older self started at that, but her older self beat Padmé to verbally protesting. She whirled around from the window and with furrowed eyes said, "You don't know what you'd be getting yourself into."

"Probably not. But the common thread in both those futures where Palpatine rose and Anakin became Darth Vader was that Palpatine managed to isolate him. No one that Anakin could trust was there to counteract Palpatine's influence. When he turned, it was just him and Palpatine. But if someone's there, maybe that can turn the tide," Ahsoka argued. "It's too dangerous for Padmé to go. If she dies, so do the twins. Obi-wan and Anakin have too much between them that they don't have time to sort out right now. So that leaves me."

"You don't know that," her older self said evenly. "You only saw my future and a possible future that we still might not have diverted. You could be killed."

"But only if Anakin decides he's going to kill me. Vader didn't want to kill you even right after Palpatine told him to eliminate the Jedi. At Padmé's apartment and on Mustafar. And he gave you a chance to talk when you met him years later when he could have just come in with his lightsaber blazing and fought you outright. And in the future I was shown on Lothal, he even gave me a chance to join him and a chance to leave him. He was conflicted. He didn't want to kill me."

"You think that will make things better, but all you might be doing is making things worse," her older self said approaching her.

Ahsoka refused to let her other self intimidate her as she stood to meet the woman's stare. She wouldn't let fear dictate what she was going to do.

"Leaving him is the mistake that will condemn him to darkness. And I won't do it again." Then Ahsoka added more deliberately, "_Not_ this time."

While her older self said nothing, she still didn't back down, looking more and more like she was about to drag Ahsoka and Padmé to the nearest ship and send them off herself. And Ahsoka didn't doubt her other self could pull it off. So she tried a different tactic. One she'd learned from her other self.

"Stop thinking like a Jedi or an empress for a minute," Ahsoka said as she stared her older self down. "Think about how you felt when Vader turned. You knew what the Jedi would have said. The same thing you're telling me. That you didn't know what you were getting into. Worse than that. They would have told you to kill him. No questions asked. But in your heart you knew him better than anyone else alive. And you knew, when everyone else doubted it, when people still doubt it, that you could save him, that you'll continue to save him despite what anyone thinks. Because no matter how much he embraces the dark side, you know there's always good in him if you can just figure out a way to bring it out."

Her other self didn't visibly falter, but Ahsoka knew she'd pushed the woman right at her weakest point. The fact that she'd felt every emotion her other self had in the memories Vader showed them on Naboo helped. She'd felt that dreadful knowing of what Vader had done when everything first went down, even though her other self hadn't known the extent of his transgressions; how the woman had teetered on the edge of falling to the dark side after she'd fled with Luke and Leia, but how the children's insistent pushing to bond with her saved her and reaffirmed in her heart their mother's dying words that there was good in their father; the unwavering loyalty in her heart even as she listened to her fellow rebel co-leaders and subordinates talk about Vader and how they would take him down; the protective instinct later when she'd come up with a plan to thwart her allies' intention to see Vader brought to their own brand of justice, not because she was worried they'd manage to see it through, but to protect Vader from undoing all the work they'd done together to bring out the good that remained in him in his righteous fury at what would have certainly been perceived as a betrayal.

Everything her other self had done since her Anakin Skywalker's fall had been toward the goal of bringing out the good in him and redeeming him.

"You told me back on Lothal that while the expression of our love is different for both our Anakins, the essence of it was the same," Ahsoka continued boldly. "And if that's true, you _know _why I have to do this. You know why I can't leave him. You know why I won't leave him."

Ahsoka knew the moment her other self's resolve faltered. The woman's smile, not in amusement but sadness, confirmed it.

"Perhaps that's true. Perhaps he won't kill you. Perhaps you can bring him back. But are you prepared for how painful that might be. Not just for him but for you?" Her other self continued before Ahsoka could answer, "It took the time that I was away from him to be ready to suffer the fallout of dealing with his darkness and also my own. Has your short time away from him prepared you to do that? Or will you continue to make light of it?"

Her older self went back to the window and continued, "I've said my peace. I won't stop either one of you from making your own choice. And I will do everything I can to help regardless. Just make sure you know what you'll have to be prepared to do if that is the choice you make."

* * *

Before Anakin had split from his other companions, he already had an idea where Vader was. And though not particularly eager to spend a lot of time with the man in question, he was curious about the way Vader had reacted in the Council meeting.

Anakin found him exactly where he expected him to be, sitting on the edge of the roof, accessible from one of the Temple's many spirals. He should know. He'd come here many a nights and days when he couldn't find a way to release his anger and frustration into the Force. And apparently it was something his alternate self had done, something that hadn't changed after his turn to the dark side. Another thing that hadn't changed that is.

Everything he knew about the dark side of the Force from the Jedi said that once someone turned to that path, they were irrevocably changed, a completely different person from their former self. And while he could see that was true in some ways with Vader, he could see that some things weren't unrecognizable. Just in a different form.

"All ideas about the Force are not as monolithic and extreme as the Jedi Order you're familiar with would have you to believe. There are many others who would call themselves Jedi but aren't part of this Order and even more diverse systems of Force beliefs using the light side of the Force that would disagree with them about the nature of the dark side. Not just the Sith. Those sects only wisely choose to stay out the affairs of Galactic politics," Vader said without turning to look at him.

"I can't have been thinking that loud," Anakin said as he approached.

"No. You weren't."

Anakin could now understand the alternate Ahsoka's exasperation with the man. And, though he'd never tell them, Padmé's and Ahsoka's exasperation with him.

"What do you want?" Vader asked bluntly when Anakin sat beside him, careful to leave significant space between them.

"Your Ahsoka seemed to be concerned about your destructive nature while in the Jedi Temple. We split up to find you," Anakin replied. "I had a hunch where you were."

Vader huffed. "You fell for that?"

"Fell for what?"

"While I don't doubt that Ahsoka was concerned about my destructive nature in this place, I do doubt that she didn't already know that you'd know exactly where to find me."

"What are you trying to say?"

"The women are conspiring against us."

"Conspiring?"

"There's nothing in this universe—the universes—that I wouldn't trust Ahsoka with. My life and my children, among other things. It's why I gave her the galaxy when it became clear to me that I couldn't be trusted not to destroy it. I would trust her with everything, except her own self-preservation when she gets into her mind to help or protect me. There's very little I can do to persuade her otherwise on a normal occasion when she gets in her mind to do something, and she's reckless on very frequent occasions, but if she thinks what she'd doing will protect me…" Vader trailed off with a longsuffering sigh identical to the one his aforementioned companion usually made when it came to him.

"Sounds like Ahsoka," Anakin said, greatly sympathizing with his other self.

"Yes, but infinitely worse than the trouble you're familiar with her getting in. Though I suppose over the years, you'll certainly come to know it."

"Maybe. If we manage to beat Palpatine. And not in the way you know it," Anakin joked, partly anyway.

"No. Perhaps not," Vader said, still staring out into the city. "I know you don't understand it. I know you can hardly comprehend it. Even in our world, not many do. One of the remaining relics of a dead order and the man, another relic, who brought that order to its death. But for better or for worse, we're all the other has now."

Anakin didn't have the curiosity to ask about more about Vader and the alternate Ahsoka's relationship with each other. But while Vader seemed to be in a talkative and reflective mood, he supposed now was as good a time to ask him about the Council meeting.

"Why did you defend me down there?" When Vader didn't immediately answer, Anakin continued, "You called me naïve, blind, and weak back on Lothal, and then turned around and tried to get the Council to trust me. Why?"

Vader didn't answer again, and Anakin assumed he wasn't going to. He would have left if it weren't for the fact that he still needed to keep an eye on Vader.

"You remind me of my son," Vader finally answered.

"Luke," Anakin stated.

"Yes." A pause. "He's twenty now and wants so hard to live up to the legacy that his parents left before him. The good of it anyway. He's seen and wants so badly to live up to his fullest potential. But sometimes he's so hard on himself when he makes mistakes, in such a rush to get somewhere sometimes, despite my and his mother's attempts to assure him otherwise."

Anakin frowned in confusion at the mention of Luke's mother. One of the first things the alternate Ahsoka had been open and honest about when she got here was that Padmé had died shortly after the twin's birth in their world. And the memories Vader showed them confirmed as much. Then he remembered in those same memories how the twins had called Ahsoka "mama."

Vader was talking about his Ahsoka.

"I've always seen a lot of Padmé in him. He has her heart and general temperament. That much is certain. And certainly, some of Ahsoka's brashness has rubbed off on him. But today, I realized how much like my former self he is. And I would have done much worse than say a few sharp words to anyone who spoke to my son the way the Council spoke to you, treated you as dismissively as they treat you, despite how much he and his mother would have protested, " Vader said reflectively. "He's so young. Just barely an adult. Still impressionable and childish in many ways with a lot of growing up to do still. And so are you in some ways, all with the weight of the galaxy shoved unasked on your shoulders. So maybe… maybe I was too harsh in my judgment of you."

Many things went unsaid in that statement. That maybe Vader had, at one point, been too harsh on himself. That maybe Anakin was also, sometimes, too harsh on himself. Regardless, Vader was right. He hadn't asked for this responsibility. When he became a Jedi, his goal had been to simply do good. To eventually go back to Tatooine and free all the slaves. Before he knew about all the politics. Before he knew about the expectations to not have any attachments, including to the people he cared about. Before he learned about a prophecy to bring balance to the Force. It all seemed so simple then. So black and white. Now… not so much.

"Conspiring against us though they may be," Vader said abruptly, changing the subject, and Anakin let him. He wasn't exactly eager to keep talking about how he might be too critical of himself with the one person whose opinion might have some weight about it, "the women have the right idea."

"The Council's not going to approve this mission," Anakin stated.

"Not any time soon. Certainly not in time enough for us to make a move before Sidious does."

"Well," Anakin said with a shrug. "I think their apprisal of the situation will suffice to keep them and us out of trouble if it all goes to hell."

"_When_ it all goes to hell."

"I'm trying to be optimistic."

"It's misplaced."

Though his tone didn't betray it, his Force signature—which had calmed down significantly from the whirlwind of emotions that they were when he stormed out the Council meeting—said that Vader was teasing. Huh. Maybe his alternate self wasn't as evil as he made himself to be.

They sat in comfortable, companionable silence for a while afterward, both aware of the precarious uncertainty in the Force regarding events soon to unfold.

Separatist battleships came into view in the Coruscant night sky minutes later. And while Anakin instantly jumped to his feet, alarmed, Vader sat to observe them for a moment and said with some form of grudging respect in his tone, "Well played, Sidious. Well played."

* * *

**AN:** Vader's last line at the end of this chapter was one of the many lines I'd had envisioned for this story before I'd even started writing this story. That and his line a couple of chapters ago about destroying the entire Order being "a gross and ill-thought-out error in judgment," on his part. It's hard to get in his head and write from his point of view, but it's not hard for me to figure out what he'd say in response to something. Lol.

Also, an important part of the Star Wars universe is Vader's love for his son. And I figured, at some point, when faced with his younger self in the right situation, he'd be reminded of Luke. Not to mention, I don't think anyone talks about often enough how young Anakin is. He's 23 when he falls. The part of the brain that controls judgment isn't even finished completely developing yet. With everything going on, my God it's no wonder he snapped. I'm 28 and be about to lose my mind with the pressure of school and life sometimes. Not to excuse what he does as Darth Vader. After a time, you have to take personal responsibility, but it blows my mind that anyone can't see the part that the failure of the people around him and in his society played in his fall.

Anyway, thanks for reading. I'll be updating more often to get this totally uploaded. I have no reason not to since it's all written. Keep the reviews, follows, and favorites coming. I appreciate it.


	23. Chapter 23

**23**

All three of them looked out the window into the sky in stunned silence before the eldest of the three women muttered, "That son of a bitch."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Padmé said, still staring into the night sky as the Separatist began their assault.

"We played right into Sidious' hands, didn't we?" Ahsoka stated though she phrased it as a question.

"Remember when I said we'd have to play all this by ear? Time to play it by ear," Ahsoka's older self said, and they all sprang into action at the same time as they turned from the window and walked out the office. She handed Padmé the datapad she'd used earlier. "Padmé. It's up to you to get the information we need to justify whatever we end up having to do with Palpatine."

"I'll start with the Senate. Mostly everyone would have left by now, including Palpatine," Padmé said. "I should be able to get into his office easily enough to get something useful."

"Take Artoo. And be careful. If it looks like it's too dangerous or you might get hurt, get out. We'll deal with the fallout afterward if we need to, inconvenient as it may be. But a little convenience isn't worth your life," the alternate Ahsoka said.

"I'll be careful," Padmé assured.

"I mean it," the alternate Ahsoka said, stopping and turning to look directly at Padmé. "Be careful. I…"

"I understand," Padmé said, looking the woman in the eye. "I'll stay safe. I'll make sure the twins stay safe."

And that's when, for the first time, Ahsoka saw her other self let her true worry show from behind the well put together façade of calm and cool control that had intimidated Ahsoka when she'd first met her. What Ahsoka now knew to be the woman's empress mask—like the mask she'd seen Padmé frequently wear in the Senate or when Anakin was around, and they were both trying and failing to be subtle—disappeared, and the alternate Ahsoka averted her gaze and looked at the ground.

"I'm worried about you too. And I… I know they're not my children. Even back home, they're not really _my _children. They were never supposed to be anyway. But the thought of something happening to them anywhere and not being able to protect them…" she said softly.

"Ahsoka," Padmé said, grabbing the older woman's hands in her own. "I know. Thank you. For keeping them safe. For being their mama."

"Hopefully, that need won't arise this time around."

"It won't," Padmé said confidently.

Ahsoka felt like she was intruding on something as her other self nodded and held her gaze with Padmé. The two older women were connecting over something that Ahsoka would likely never experience. Something that she frankly had no desire to experience. And maybe her other self had felt that way at one time too. But like her relationship with Vader, circumstances had changed things. Ahsoka supposed if she had been by herself with Anakin's and Padmé's newborn children, she would have whisked them away to safety and taken care of them too.

Finally, her older self exhaled, and her cool empress mask was back as she nodded to her younger self and said, "We have to go to the Jedi Temple. Comm us if you need us."

"I will," Padmé assured.

That said, Ahsoka left the apartment with her other self. They didn't pause when they arrived at the temple, both making their way right up the front steps and into the building and not pausing to even given anyone the chance to ask why they were there or what their business was. Nor did they give anyone time to do a doubletake and figure out that the two were practically clones of each other except for one being younger and the other older. They simply headed to where they both knew Anakin and Vader would be, instinctively able to find them now that they needed to.

They ran into the two men at an intersection into a hall, turning down the adjacent hall without pause and walking in step with each other.

"I'm assuming you know that Sidious has made his move," Anakin said.

"We saw the same Separatist fleet come into the atmosphere that you did, Skyguy. Yeah. We know," Ahsoka said. Then she asked, "What do you think Sidious' goal is with this?"

"Besides taking over the galaxy?" Anakin asked. "Do the details really matter?"

"In our timeline, this happened months from now, and he staged his kidnapping. It was a ploy to both test Vader's strength and a way to get rid of Dooku if Sidious determined Vader was ready and setting the stage for taking over the Republic," the alternate Ahsoka replied. "It also severely shook the faith of the general public in the Jedi because if the Separatist army was bold enough to attack the capital where the Jedi Temple was located, what did that really say about the Jedi's ability to protect the galaxy."

"That's your timeline. What about ours?" Anakin asked.

Before her other self could respond, Ahsoka said, "I _think _her point is that Sidious might be staging this invasion for similar reasons as he staged the one in her timeline."

Her other self looked at her from the corner of her eye with a smile and said, "Exactly."

Before they could discuss that any further, they arrived at the briefing room where a good portion of the Council and the few masters and knights that weren't spread out across the galaxy were already present.

"Skywalker," Mace said when he saw Anakin approach. Upon seeing who Anakin had brought with him, he looked at him expectantly for an explanation.

"They can help," Anakin said simply.

Mace gave the group one last look before nodding his head, probably deciding that it wasn't a fight worth picking. He started to give them instructions, but Vader cut him off.

"If you wish to avoid the decimation of your Order tonight, then you should make the priority to protect the Jedi Temple," he said. "I'd also start an evacuation if I were you."

"What are you talking about?" Mace asked Vader directly.

"What he," Vader said, nodding to Anakin, "was trying to tell you earlier that you had to take time to deliberate on. Palpatine is the Sith Lord you've been looking for. He's pulling the strings on both sides of the war, and that's the only reason that the Separatists were able to manage this attack."

"And what would he have to gain from this kind of attack?" Mace asked.

Vader's Force presence flared briefly, and Ahsoka sensed her other self reach out to nudge him in the Force. But she didn't need to because Anakin cut in and said, "He's hearing us out."

To both Ahsoka's and her other self's surprise, Vader suppressed his Force presence and reined in his temper before continuing, "Palpatine's ultimate aim is the destruction of the Jedi Order so that no one will stand in the way of his rise to power. In our timeline, Palpatine accused the Jedi of treason when they tried to oppose him to justify their destruction. But that trick won't work because we've warned you. Instead, he's going to use this invasion to destroy you. And with the people feeling there's no one to protect them from the Separatists with the Jedi obliterated, Sidious will use that fear to get them to go along with the idea of his Empire. Then he'll miraculously end the war, saving the galaxy where the Jedi would have failed it. He won't need to declare you an enemy. The people will speak out against your revival, if there are any Jedi left afterward, because of your apparent failure."

"How can you be sure of this?" Mace asked.

"I spent the better part of a decade taking the man down in our universe. I've had an unfortunate, up close, and personal exposure to his machinations," Vader replied with a steel glint in his eyes. "It won't be long before the Separatists partially get through the planetary shielding and the first thing they're going to do is sends battalions to overrun the temple. I don't care if you believe me. It's your Order at stake. But don't say that no one warned you."

That might have been true, about Vader knowing how Sidious thought, but Ahsoka also got the feeling that the future had shifted again. And Vader had known the original trajectory of their timeline, so it made sense that he'd have seen the shift and some of the events in it if there had been one.

Then tension in the room rose as Mace and Vader silently faced off before Mace finally said, "I'll send for a battalion of clones to be directed to the Temple to aid us in defending it."

"No!" Ahsoka's alternate self suddenly exclaimed. "Keep the clones away from the temple. Send them to fight the battleships and defend or evacuate civilians. Anything but bringing them to the temple."

"Why?" Mace asked.

"The clones have obedience chips in them programmed to kill the Jedi on sight at the order of the Chancellor. Order sixty-six," Vader replied.

Ahsoka had forgotten about that. In her vision on Lothal and when Vader showed them his and her alternate self's combined memories, she'd seen the clones march onto the Temple. But it hadn't occurred to her to ask how it was they all simply followed that order, turned on their generals and commanders without question. Sure there was some Jedi who didn't give much thought to the clones, but there were just as many, if not more, who formed close bonds with the troops they led.

"You couldn't have told us this days ago?" Anakin asked incredulously.

"Well, I'm sorry," Vader said in a light sarcastic tone that he'd clearly picked up from Obi-wan at some point during his lifetime, "I must have forgotten somewhere while we were in the midst of planning how to commit treason against the Republic without getting arrested for it."

Ahsoka exchanged a sympathetic look with her older self before they both focused their attention back on Mace.

"Are you sure about this?" Mace asked.

"Look," the alternate Ahsoka began, "We have no time to explain it all or for you to go deliberate with the Council on whether or not to believe us. You don't have a lot of choices. Stay here and risk certain obliteration if—"

"When," Vader cut in.

"—the separatists overrun the temple with droids or evacuate and maybe risk that we're lying or don't have any clue what we're talking about. You know not to take your chances on the Separatists. So you're just going to have to trust us."

Mace paused and then nodded. "So, how do you propose we defend the temple in the meantime?"

"You all focus on getting the most vulnerable of the Jedi out the Temple. Then send your best knights and temple security to guard the main entrances and other most likely points of entry. You can leave defending the temple to us," Ahsoka's older self said. Then she looked at Vader pleadingly and asked, "Right?"

Despite her older self's pleading look, Ahsoka sensed a tense, silent exchange between the two time travelers in their force signatures, and next to her, Ahsoka also sensed that Anakin was tense. Because they all remembered Vader's earlier refusal to assist them and his reluctant assistance thereafter. But now they were asking him to defend the very Order that in his timeline he'd destroyed. That by his own admission, he didn't regret destroying overall as much he might have regretted the loss of young and impressionable talent. It was enough of a miracle that he'd warned the Order of the impending attack, to begin with.

Finally, Vader replied dryly, "I was starting to get bored anyway. I suppose this could be fun."

"Fine," Mace finally said before looking at Anakin and saying, "Skywalker, I'm holding you responsible for them."

"Right," Anakin said, but Ahsoka sensed he was skeptical through their bond. She couldn't blame him. There was little either of them could probably do to control their alternate selves. Ahsoka was still amazed she'd managed to stand up to her older self at Padmé's apartment.

Once Mace left, Vader said, "If we're going to do this, we need to split up. No point in holding the droid army off one way and then having them overrun the temple from the other side."

"Won't that be more of a risk? We'll already be taking on an army that outnumbers us as it is," Anakin said.

"We've faced worse," Vader said with a smirk.

"Worse?" Ahsoka asked.

"Battle of Coruscant in the Galactic Civil War. Sidious had holed himself the Imperial Palace and heavily fortified it. Took some... creative strategies, but he couldn't keep us out," Vader explained.

Ahsoka sensed the same craving and excitement for a fight in Vader's dark presence as he began to loosen his shielding that she was familiar with from Anakin when they were about to face seemingly impossible odds.

"Besides, we only have to hold them off long enough for the temple to be evacuated," the alternate Ahsoka said. "Anakin, you're with me. Vader, take my younger self."

"Wouldn't it be better if I stayed with Anakin and you went with Vader?" Ahsoka asked.

"Maybe, but I figure it's better to have twenty extra years of skills on both sides," her alternate self answered. Verbally anyway. But the answer Ahsoka really wanted was conveyed silently through their locked gaze and the Force.

_I'll look after him_, she felt her other self conveying_. I won't let him fall_.

And then she felt something else from the older woman. This time the conveyance of not an answer, but a question of reassurance from her. _You'll look after him for me too, right?_

Ahsoka sent back in assurance, _I got him._

The two of them nodded at each other.

"Why do I get the feeling you're both plotting against us?" Anakin asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Never against you, Master," Ahsoka said, feigning being aghast, and she noticed Anakin and Vader exchange a knowing look. She wondered what that was about…

They both left the briefing room and started to go their separate ways. But suddenly, Vader paused, seeming to go back and forth with himself before finally sighing in frustration and turning around. Ahsoka turned with him to see that her other self had done the same, and Anakin was looking equally as confused.

Finally, the two time travelers spoke simultaneously.

"Vader."

"Ahsoka."

They both sighed and said, "You first."

Ahsoka exchanged a glance with Anakin who rolled his eyes and shrugged. _Off all the times_, she felt him convey to her through their bond. She sent agreement back to him with a shrug of her own.

"So, maybe it wasn't a sentence," her other self began.

"And perhaps it also wasn't an entire section."

"Maybe it was a paragraph."

"A longer than normal paragraph," Vader added.

"And maybe you did have a point, and I did know it was a risk. But it was only a hypothetical. And it seemed so minuscule. I probably should have consulted your expertise first," her other self said, avoiding Vader's gaze as she held onto her left arm.

"And perhaps I… overstated the risks of the measure. I trusted you to rule the Empire. I should have trusted that you'd considered the risks and discussed it with you first instead of undermining your power," Vader admitted, though, to Ahsoka, it looked like it pained him to do so.

Her alternate self finally met Vader's gaze as she continued, "Just… I know we're not going to die or anything."

Vader considered that and then said, "More than likely not."

"But I just wanted to make sure you knew that despite how much you absolutely infuriate me… You're still my heart." Her alternate self reached out with her free hand towards Vader.

Vader reached out to take her hand and said, "You're still my heart too."

Her other self broke out into a grin, and Vader smiled fondly just slightly in response. A genuine smile. Not one of his smirks.

Anakin and Ahsoka looked at each other and then sighed. Force, this was going to be so awkward, and they were absolutely _not_ going to be able to unsee this.

"Go ahead," Anakin said, throwing up his arms as he rolled his eyes again.

"It's not like you haven't already made this weird," Ahsoka said resignedly.

That was all the permission the two time travelers seemed to need. They closed the gap between each other and pressed a chaste but intimate kiss on each other's lips before pulling away.

"Remember," Vader said as they seemed to reluctantly pull away but kept their foreheads leaned against each others'.

"An unstoppable force. I know," her alternate self said with a sigh as though she heard it all the time.

They let go of each other's hand, and Ahsoka's other self stepped back and promptly turned to walk away while gesturing for Anakin to follow her.

Vader turned to leave without giving Ahsoka any gesture to follow, though, and she ran to catch up, practically jogging to keep up with his pace. By the time they got to their side of the temple after gathering stray knights they passed along the way, true to Vader's prediction, a battalion of droids were headed towards the temple, ready to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

"I don't suppose that little trick back over Vjjil will work on this many droids, will it?" Ahsoka asked.

"I'm not that powerful yet," Vader replied.

Ahsoka gave him a wry look at the familiar cockiness in his tone. She wished she had his confidence.

"Don't worry," Vader assured, and for a moment, Ahsoka felt like she was standing next to her Anakin being reassured about one of his absolutely insane ideas. "We only need to hold them off long enough for the evacuation to be finished."

"We're going to be able to hold off an _entire _army?" Ahsoka asked. Anakin did some crazy things, but even he knew when the odds were not just against him, but more than likely insurmountable even for him.

"Young one," Vader said, his tone dark and low as he looked at her. Eyes starting to turn yellow. "I _am _an army."

And then, for the first time, Ahsoka felt the man completely lowered his tight shields and, with the _snap-hiss_ of his red lightsaber, unleashed his full dark side power.

* * *

**AN: **I did not want to rely on the Clones and Order 66 as a threat to the Jedi when the guy pulling the shots on both sides of the war technically has a second army he could use. So since I always desire to think outside the box, I decided eh. What if the droid army attacks the temple...? And an idea was born. Don't ask me about the logistics. Use your imagination.

There are nine chapters left guys. Nine! Man, I didn't know this story would come this far or get this long when I started it but here we are.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed. Keep the reviews, favorites, and follows coming. I really appreciate it!


	24. Chapter 24

**24**

When Anakin felt the powerful dark chill that was the result of Vader unleashing his full power of the dark side, Obi-wan said from next to him, "I'm assuming that would be your alternate self."

"Yep," Anakin responded dryly. So much for keeping that secret under wraps. He wondered how they were going to explain that one off when this was all over.

"Don't worry," the alternate Ahsoka said as she looked upon the droid army that was coming their way. "He won't hurt any of your Jedi so long as they don't hurt him."

"Vader has a _very_ different definition of hurt than we do," Anakin pointed out.

The togruta woman shrugged. "That's a fair assessment."

Anakin turned to Obi-wan, feeling the man's eyes on him. Anakin sent him a sheepish shrug to which Obi-wan glared at him before sighing and shaking his head in a way that Anakin knew to mean that he was wondering what they'd really gotten themselves into.

"Remember," she said again. "We're just trying to hold them off long enough to complete the evacuation."

"Not saying that this is impossible or anything," Anakin said falling into the familiar banter of war he was used to when they were facing odds that seemed insurmountable, "But you're saying that as if it's going to be any easier than just trying to defeat the army."

"It is," she stated confidently and then, for what Anakin realized was the first time since she had been here, the alternate Ahsoka lit her lightsabers, blazing hot white in color. Then she shot him a mischievous grin and said with a playful wink, "See if you can keep up with me, Skyguy."

That said, she jumped and leaped down the steps, dropping just a few feet in front of the droid army. Somewhere during that time, she'd lowered her shields completely, and for the first time, Anakin got a glimpse of the power she'd so carefully kept under lock and key. It was as light-filled and pure as Anakin knew it was despite the constant influence of her Sith companion; filled warm emotions like love, passion, and caring but at the same time a definite sense of power and danger that promised to turn the comfortable warmth into a burning inferno if someone were to get on the wrong side of it. Like the droid army.

She raised a hand and, with what appeared to be very little effort or concentration on her part, used the Force to cause a shockwave, an explosion really, that knocked back the front lines of the army and discombobulated much of the rest. Then she leaped right into the thick of the army and began striking droids down in a white blur.

"Wow," Anakin muttered.

"Seems like your padawan grows up to be more insane than you, Anakin," Obi-wan said.

"I didn't teach her _that_!" Anakin yelled back, joining the fray and caching to where the older woman had gone.

"Not yet anyway," she replied without missing a beat.

"Yet?" Anakin asked.

"I went through some very intense training with Vader after we met up again."

"I thought you didn't become his apprentice again."

"I didn't. Doesn't mean he didn't try. And the Sith use training techniques that the Jedi would consider cruel, even though I can admit they are effective," she added.

"Effective for training or turning people to the dark side?" Anakin asked.

"Both."

"Can't imagine that Vader was too pleased that it didn't work to turn you."

"You would think that. But I think he relished in the challenge after a while and would have been disappointed in some weird way if I actually had," she said with a shrug.

"As lovely as this conversation has been, do you have any idea what we're going to do about that?" Obi-wan asking pointing to the aerial support coming to help the droid army.

"Oh look," the alternate Ahsoka said. "Our backup's arrived."

"Backup?" Obi-wan asked her.

"Hey, Anakin. Wanna give me a boost?"

"Sure thing," he said.

Between him and her Force enhanced jump, she managed to propel herself into the sky, right on top of one of the aerial supports. In short order, she'd gained control of it and carefully turned it around and began using it to take out the droid army and give them a better advantage.

"She's insane," Obi-wan said.

"She's awesome," Anakin corrected.

"I think we have very different definitions of that word, Anakin."

Maybe. That said, Anakin couldn't help but be a little concerned about the woman. Not because he had any doubt that she could take care of herself but because he didn't want to be the one explaining to Vader how she got hurt if she did. He didn't even think bringing up Vader's own admission about the woman's recklessness would stop his ire if she got hurt. Still, she had the right idea. If they didn't have enough support on their own to keep the temple from being overrun, then they'd take it from the other side.

Copying her lead, he leaped onto one of the supports, took control of it, and after a brief assessment of the situation and seeing that the alternate Ahsoka seemed to have a handle of taking out a good chunk of the droid army, decided that the best course of action was to get rid of the remaining three aerial supports headed their way. And still, that would only buy them time.

"So how long do you think they need to evacuate the temple?" came the alternate Ahsoka's voice from his comm. It took him a moment to figure out it was her since her voice hadn't changed much since her teenage years and he almost thought it was his Ahsoka. Then he recognized the cool, calm formal tone from years of ruling her own galaxy.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Because they're about to go for an orbital bombardment. And I may be insane, to quote Obi-wan, but I haven't lost my mind enough to try to take that on," she replied.

"They'd go for something as imprecise as that?" Anakin asked. "Are you sure?"

"Well, the Jedi Temple's a pretty big target," the alternate Ahsoka pointed out. "And Vader just gave me a heads up."

"How does he know?"

"While he's cautious about his more long term vision, he's got a bit of a talent of glancing into the immediate future," Ahsoka replied. "Just trust me. We need to retreat. Right now. He says there's bunker a few levels below the temple. The good thing is they're going to wipe out the rest of their army too."

"There's a bunker under the temple?" Anakin asked.

"Yes. But how do you know that?" Obi-wan asked the alternate Ahsoka as he joined the comm frequency.

"Empress. Remember?" she asked. "Start ushering everyone inside and tell Mace that whoever he hasn't gotten out to get ready to hunker down."

"When did you get so bossy?" Anakin muttered but did as she said and began to direct the remaining fighting Jedi back into the temple and sending the woman's message to Master Windu.

* * *

Watching Vader made Ahsoka feel like the newly minted fourteen-year-old Padawan who had been trying to make sense of the recently knighted Jedi she'd been assigned to. Those first few weeks and months she had felt some strange mixture of disbelief, awe, and wondering what the hell she'd gotten herself into and if it wasn't too late for either of them to back out of their assignment to each other.

Now, at Vader's side, as they did what they could to hold back the overwhelming numbers of the droid army, Ahsoka felt the same conflict. In awe and disbelief at the sheer power he displayed because he hadn't been kidding when he said he was an army. Just his very presence evened out the overwhelming odds as he cut down droids who were unable to get shots within a certain circumference around him like he had some kind of permanent Force shield around him. And a shield might explain why he'd told her not to stray too far from him because she hadn't had any close encounters with blaster bolts either. When three aerial supports came, Vader simply held out his hand and with a little concentration, brought them crashing down into the droid army, taking out a fair amount of the droids in the ensuing explosion. There was nothing thrown at him that he couldn't stop. And if she didn't know any better, Ahsoka would say he was invincible.

But he wasn't.

While he'd recovered well enough on Naboo, now that Ahsoka knew he had an injury, she could tell that it was once again taking a toll on him. He'd slowed down some, become a little more reserved and strategic in his fighting, though he still far outclassed anyone on the battlefield or even any of the master duelists in the Jedi temple.

Ahsoka couldn't help but wonder if that was the result of using the dark side or if it was the result of another twenty years of skills, training, and gained expertise being at the helm of the Imperial fleet in their future that made him this powerful. Probably a little of both. Maybe even more of the latter. At least, she hoped it was. Because if what her other self said about there being a good chance that Anakin would still fall anyway were true, then her concerns about Ahsoka getting herself killed may have been more justified than she wanted to admit at the time… Ahsoka immediately shook the thought from her head. No. When Anakin faced Palpatine, she was going to be there.

Suddenly, Vader gave the order that they needed to retreat to the temple and to the bunkers underneath it because they were about to face an aerial bombardment. She didn't ask him how he knew any of that (from the temple bunkers to the impending bombardment) and trusted him enough to follow his directive for now… Or at least, that was what she had planned on doing until a feeling struck her. Not her feeling, but a residual feeling of warning and danger. Not for herself or even for the person Ahsoka seemed to be getting the residual feeling from, but for someone that person deeply cared about.

After a moment, Ahsoka figured out it was coming from her other self. Another moment and she figured out the feeling of warning and danger was for Padmé. Not just Padmé, Ahsoka remembered as the memory of her other self and Padmé sharing a moment of mutual love and protectiveness came to her mind, but for the twin children Padmé carried.

Ahsoka looked over at Vader, who was now distracted using his power to bring down the large stone statues in front of the temple to encumber the droid army so the rest of the Jedi could retreat. Ahsoka was sure it would be a bad idea for her other self to go to Padmé on her own, but the Jedi needed Vader's help to save them. The irony that he was a Sith and had been responsible for the Order's destruction in his own timeline wasn't lost on her, but Ahsoka also put that thought aside. The longer she waited to make a decision, the more she risked Vader would notice.

Before she could waste more time trying to talk herself out of it or come up with another plan, Ahsoka felt herself already moving to slip away from the battle. She had to fight a few droids along the way, but they were more focused on trying to get towards the temple than a lone Jedi trying to go in the opposite direction.

She let the feeling direct her to where she needed to go until she found her other self just a few streets over from the temple, having managed to get her hands on a speeder that she was now trying to hotwire.

"I should have known," her other self said without looking up at her.

"Well, I couldn't let you just go to save Padmé from the Sith without backup," Ahsoka said, jumping into the passenger side.

"Vader and Anakin probably aren't going to consider this backup," her other self joked as she got the speeder started.

"They'll catch up," Ahsoka said and then added, "You're not going to stop me?"

"I would if I didn't already know that it would be an exercise in futility," her other self said. "A strong word of advice, though? Sidious is a master manipulator. Don't let him get in your head."

"You sound like you know that from experience," Ahsoka pointed out.

"Unfortunately. But I don't plan on you finding out. We're not going to do a lot of verbal communication with Sidious." Before she could say anything, her other self added, "Now let's go save Padmé."

* * *

The alternate Ahsoka had the foresight to send Artoo with Padmé to sneak into Palpatine's office. In fact, the togruta had already uploaded the map of the Senate and the path she'd planned through the security blind spots in the Senate building to avoid cameras and droid security into Artoo's hard drive so that Padmé had to do little more than follow the little droid all the way to a secret entry into the chancellor's office.

"Okay," Padmé muttered to herself once she and Artoo were in the office. "There has to be something. Somewhere."

Though there was no one around, she silently made her way around the office. She quickly passed through the ceremonial office where senators, herself included, frequently met with the man. He wouldn't keep any secrets there. Instead, she headed to where she knew his private office to be, through an entry a little ways off from the ceremonial one. She hoped the current empress had mapped that into her plan and that there was no security or traps for her.

Though Artoo assured her that he'd managed to override any security once he'd unlocked the door, Padmé was still cautious as she made her way into the room. Finally, something told her that she was safe. Relatively anyway. She shined her light into the dark room and took a cursory glance around.

Some shelves. A desk. A holonet transmitter and a connecting computer. The latter no doubt having the evidence Padmé was looking for. She propped up her light on the desk and then sat down at the computer. With Artoo's help once again, she got into the computer, overriding the security and alarms that were no doubt in place to alert Palpatine to anyone accessing it.

The rest was up to her, though, she didn't have to do much in the end. The information she'd accessed was damning, to say the least. Encrypted holo transmissions, loads of communications that corroborated the two time traveler's story that Palpatine had orchestrated the war and been siphoning information to the Separatists to always keep them parsecs ahead of the Republic and sometimes vice versa. Until now, Padmé really didn't think she'd believed it. Sure, she trusted that what the two time travelers had been saying well enough. But part of her still held out some twisted hope that perhaps being the politician he was that Palpatine had simply taken advantage of the Republic in its time of desperation. Because if that had been true, Padmé couldn't blame herself too badly for being part of the catalyst that gave rise to Palpatine's power.

Then she remembered Ahsoka's words from the vision Vader had shared with them. That Palpatine had lied to all of them and made them think that the fault lay solely with anyone but himself. He played them all and turned them against each other and got them so focused on their disagreements with each other that they didn't notice when the man pulled his hand back to look blameless. The only way she could be faulted for anything was if, now that she knew, she continued to let Palpatine continue to play this game without a fight.

Padmé was determined not to let him do that.

Determination and indignation renewed, she took a datastick out her pocket, hooked it up to the computer, and began to download as many files as would fit on it. Even one piece of the damning evidence, though, would be enough to call Palpatine into question and start an investigation in the Senate.

One piece, in particular, caught her attention, something to do with the clone army, and she double-clicked it to see what was there. Padmé almost fell out her chair at the information that she'd unveiled. The digital photo of a control chip that was in the heads of every clone and the orders. 1 to 150. Most of them pretty benign. Except one in particular. Order 66, authorizing the elimination of the Jedi by lethal force on the command of the Supreme Chancellor.

"Kriff," Padmé muttered.

After getting over her shock, she downloaded as much as would fit on the datastick. When she finished, she rose from the desk, grabbed her light, and then asked Artoo to shut down the computer and make it appear that she hadn't been there. Once he'd finished, they left the private office and began to make their way out the office the way they came… only for that entryway to suddenly open. Padmé, against her better judgment, hurried with Artoo out the public entryway and ducked around the corner into the hall just in time so that whoever it was wouldn't see her. Then she heard the unmistakable voices of General Grievous, Dooku, and Palpatine.

Padmé dared not even breathe too loudly, even as their voices probably drowned it out. She even thought her heart was pounding far too loudly. And it wasn't necessarily her life that she was concerned about, but the lives of her twin children. She hadn't even met them, wasn't even positive how far along in her pregnancy she was yet, but if she could give her life to keep them safe, she'd gladly give it. As it was, though, their lives depended on her staying alive right now. And to do that, she needed to calm down. To try to think of a way out of this.

As she rubbed her lower abdomen, she managed to get her heart to stop thudding so loudly in her ears that she was able to hear their conversation.

"And now, Chancellor, with your precious Jedi under siege and unable to come to your rescue, you have little choice now but to surrender to our forces," Grievous said.

"You'll find, General, that I have many choices, but none of them include surrendering to your tyranny," Palpatine said.

Grievous made a groaning noise, and then Padmé heard Dooku say, "Now. Now. Remember. My master wants our dear chancellor alive."

Padmé frowned, taking a chance to peek around the corner to see if there was anything else she could glean from this. Only Palpatine, Dooku, and General Grievous.

Questions blazed through Padmé's mind. Vader told her on the way to Lothal that he'd told Dooku that he (though Dooku didn't know it) killed him in their future. What could Palpatine—Sidious—have possibly said to him to keep Dooku on his side? A lot, Padmé imagined as she remembered that so many times she'd thought that there was something suspicious about Palpatine but that she'd explained off as misguided but well-meaning. And in that moment, Padmé realized why the alternate Ahsoka was so worried that despite knowing Palpatine was the Sith Lord, despite knowing what could happen in the future and what had happened in the alternate one, Anakin might be manipulated into falling to the dark side anyway. According to the alternate Ahsoka, he didn't need much of a push. And Ahsoka, her Ahsoka, seemed to understand that better than anyone.

Padmé carefully pulled back around the corner and gestured to Artoo for them to start moving to get away while they were ahead. And not too soon because then she heard Dooku say, "Someone's there."

"I'll investigate," Grievous declared.

Padmé would never be able to get away in time, but apparently, her little droid friend knew that and suddenly rolled into view, making loud noises in binary to get Grievous' attention before scurrying off in the opposite direction of where Padmé was hiding.

"That's Skywalker's droid. The Jedi are here," the droid army commander declared and then made to follow Artoo.

Padmé wasn't in the clear yet though.

"Senator Amidala. How nice of you to join us this evening?" Palpatine said in a voice that had once sounded concerning in a sometimes uncanny, but not altogether alarming, grandfatherly way. Now, it was simply terrifying.

Getting the feeling that there was no way that she'd be able to run from them, she rounded the corner and showed herself.

"Actually, I think I'm going to have to dismiss the Senator," Padmé heard the older Ahsoka say—the tell-tale formal, practiced calm in her tone differentiating her from her younger self—as she came into the room from behind her. "This is Jedi business."

The sound of lightsabers being lit accompanied both Ahsokas walking past Padmé to stand between her and the Sith.

"Find somewhere safe to go," Ahsoka ordered without looking back at her. "We got this."

As much as Padmé wanted to believe that, she couldn't help the way her heart tightened at the thought of leaving them. But staying would put them in more danger. Would put what the two were trying to protect in more danger.

She nodded and ran in the direction the two had come from with the single-minded mission of finding Anakin and Vader.

* * *

**AN**: I don't have much to say about this chapter. It's more of a transitory chapter that needed to be in the story with a little important info sprinkled through.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed. Keep the reviews, favorites, and follows coming. I really appreciate it.


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: **So... this technically isn't an "extra chapter." Remember when I wrote the extra flashback chapter from Vader's perspective? I was supposed to upload another chapter. And I did do that on Ao3 but forgot to upload said extra chapter on ff net. So I've been one chapter behind on and never got around to fix it. So here's your "extra" chapter.

* * *

**25**

Anakin noticed that Ahsoka—his Ahsoka—was missing after they'd ushered everyone into the bunkers, and he was searching for the vibrant warmth of her presence. He immediately set out to look for Vader and was both pleased and dismayed that the man was headed for him also.

"Where's Ahsoka?" Vader demanded. Then he added, "My Ahsoka."

Anakin paused before answering because, despite the fact that the man was trying to brush it off, he could tell Vader was in a lot of discomfort, if not pain, as his demand to know his Ahsoka's whereabouts coming out in a firm, quiet tone.

Doubting that his older self would appreciate Anakin pointing out his obvious pain, because Anakin wouldn't have appreciated it either when he was worried about someone he cared for, finally Anakin replied, "I was about to ask you the exact same thing about mine."

"I asked first."

"I don't know. She's… around here somewhere," Anakin said with a shrug.

"I'd know if she were here. She's not," Vader snapped. "And so it seems neither is her younger self."

Anakin paused and mentally reached out for his bond with his former padawan. She was safe, for now, but definitely in danger. And not because of the imminent aerial bombardment. He probed more with his senses, and his feelings told him to go to the Senate building. Without pausing to wonder why, he started toward the exit of the filled bunker, even as he could feel the building begin to shake as the assault on the temple began. Vader walked in step beside him, seeming to come to a similar conclusion.

"And where, might I ask, are you two going?" Obi-wan asked because, of course, he noticed them.

"To find Ahsoka," Anakin snapped. "I swear. Once this is all over, I'm never letting her out of my sight."

Vader scoffed. "All that does is inspire her to find new and creative ways to sneak around you. I only had mild success with that feat after we beat the emperor because she had to recuperate from almost dying afterward, which wouldn't have been nearly as close a call if she hadn't been so reckless throughout."

"Sounds like in both universes, Ahsoka is the female version of the two of you," Obi-wan quipped.

"Don't remind me," Vader said.

"I'm not nearly that bad," Anakin disagreed.

"And how exactly do you two plan on getting out the temple? Or did you both forget that the reason we're in this bunker is because of an aerial bombardment?" Obi-wan asked.

Anakin hadn't thought that far ahead, but apparently, Vader had as he said, "The Jedi Temple is built on top of the ruins of an old Sith temple. An omen if there ever was one and just proves that the Jedi are just as arrogant as they accuse the Sith of being."

"An old Sith Temple?" Obi-wan asked, seeming to have decided, like Anakin had, not to be bothered by his future self's disdain for the Jedi.

"Yes. And since I oversaw the construction and commemoration of the Jedi memorial," Vader said grudgingly, "I know there's an emergency exit that we can use to get to those lower levels and to the outside so we can get back up and to the Senate."

"And this was something you couldn't have let us know to help with the evacuation?" Anakin asked.

"I pretty much exposed myself as, at the very least, a dark side Force user in helping to defend your precious Jedi Temple," Vader said as they followed him. "I simply kept an escape route open so I wouldn't have to resort to potentially destroying this Order too, in case your Council decides to try to apprehend me when all this is over."

Anakin couldn't find a way to avoid Obi-wan's concerned look, and shrugged in response. He'd learned over the last few days that sometimes Vader's dark comments were his way of being funny. The man apparently found amusement in people's reactions. But the alternate Ahsoka wasn't there to roll her eyes or give the man a half-hearted glare to reassure them. So Anakin wasn't exactly sure if Vader was serious about that.

"I'm sure you won't have to resort to something so… drastic," Obi-wan settled on.

"I've never shared the same faith in your Order as you seem to, Obi-wan. And though he doesn't want to admit it, I'm quite certain my former self agrees with me. We shall see," Vader said and then was silent as he made his way into a part of the temple that Anakin had never been in. And by the apprehension Anakin felt from the man, neither had Obi-wan.

They found an old lift that appeared to have seen much better days, but still worked well enough and followed Vader onto it.

As they rode the old, slow lift down to levels unknown, Anakin asked, "You oversaw the construction and commemoration of a Jedi memorial at the Jedi Temple in your timeline?"

Vader sighed. "Unfortunately. And don't think it had anything to do with some sense of guilt or regret I felt. It was all Ahsoka's idea."

"Then why didn't she oversee it?"

"Because that was the point. When we finally overthrew Palpatine, and the Empire and Rebellion came to a truce to end the war, in a very controversial decision, she refused to put anyone to trial for war crimes or general crimes against humanity—the few who hadn't already perished in the takeover over the years anyway. Certainly not of the side of the rebellion she founded, but also not on the side of the imperials. That doesn't mean any of us exactly escaped punishment. Not even me, despite the fact that I was the double agent for the Rebellion. She figured it would be much more humbling and damning of a blow to a lot of people's egos if they were instead made to go back to the very people who they had committed atrocities against and find a way to recompense for them. Overseeing the memorial and announcing the official pardon and exoneration of the Jedi was part of mine," Vader explained.

"Part of it?" Obi-wan asked.

"The destruction of the Jedi Order is only the beginning of the crimes I've supposedly committed," Vader admitted, though he certainly didn't seem particularly sorry for them. At least not all of them, anyway. And Anakin could see why the alternate Ahsoka thought it would be more of a blow to force Vader to find a way to repent than facing trial and execution, even if it had also been her way of protecting him.

Finally, the lift stopped, and they followed Vader through what were definitely old Sith ruins that Obi-wan noted he'd need to tell the Council about later and out to old empty streets, ignoring the sounds of the attack on the temple above. When they finally got to a populated area of lower areas blocks from the chaos at the temple, Vader seized a speeder that had been abandoned in the chaos of the invasion and took them to the Senate building.

They hadn't gotten far into the building when they saw Artoo careening towards them. To avoid crashing into them, the little droid skirted to the left only to crash into the wall. Anakin might have been concerned if not for the tall figure coming behind him.

"Grievous," Anakin muttered.

"You know," Vader said in exasperation, "It's starting to get really old running into enemies that were defeated once already in my own timeline. This is starting to feel like one of those video games my children like to play together."

"You mean where they have to beat all the bosses you've previously beaten but all in one ultimate level? Like in that game about the farmer that has to save the twi'lek princess?" Anakin asked.

"Exactly the one."

"They still make those games twenty years in the future?"

"Yes. They've especially seen a resurgence since Ahsoka dramatically loosened up or outright threw out Sidious' strict media, holonet, and general censorship regulations."

"As enlightening and entertaining as this conversation is, we do have a goal to accomplish," Obi-wan quipped. "You two go find your former students. I'll take care of Grievous."

There wasn't time to argue as Grievous was now pretty much on them and with a nod of acknowledgment, Anakin and Vader continued on their way, both generally following their senses to find where the two togruta were.

Finally, Anakin sensed Padmé approaching them, and only a few moments later, she collided into him.

"Padmé. What are you doing here?" Anakin asked and then sensing her panic asked, "What's wrong?"

"Ahsoka. Both of them. They confronted Palpatine and Dooku."

"Palpatine? Alone?" Vader demanded.

Padmé nodded. "And Grievous is in the building."

"Obi-wan is taking care of him. Where are they?" Anakin asked.

"In Palpatine's office."

"If they get themselves killed, I'm going to murder their ghosts," Vader growled.

"You'll have to get in line," Anakin agreed.

"And I got this," Padmé said, holding up a datastick. "This is the evidence we need to bring down Palpatine."

"Does Palpatine know you have that?" Anakin asked.

Padmé shrugged, and Anakin decided not to even bother getting annoyed about the fact that Padmé put herself and their children in danger for the sake of having a way to prove that arresting (looking more and more like killing now though) Palpatine was justified. Instead, he looked at Padmé and said, "Go somewhere safe. Somewhere Palpatine wouldn't think to find anyone to look for you. Take Vader with you."

That declaration was, predictably, met with protests from his other self, but Anakin pressed on.

"You're in no condition to fight anyone right now, and you know it," Anakin pointed out. Since leaving the temple, the slight discomfort he'd sensed from Vader had become outright pain.

"You don't know what you're getting into with Palpatine," Vader argued anyway, the uncomfortable rasp in his voice proving Anakin's point. "He has a way of getting into your head. Of making everything and everyone else seem wrong. And if by some miracle, he's not able to get to you that way, he'll resort to physical violence and somehow find a way to convince you to join him that way."

"Don't worry," Anakin growled letting some of the anger and betrayal he had towards Palpatine seep into his tone. "I'll handle Palpatine."

"I'm serious. Don't let him get in your head, and don't underestimate him. He didn't bring a galaxy to its knees only through the mind games. Palpatine is far from a weak old man."

Anakin wouldn't necessarily call what he sensed from Vader in that moment fear, but it was certainly a very healthy amount of caution. Maybe trepidation. Considering Vader seemed cautious or trepid of very little when it came to his abilities to defeat an opponent, the grave tone of the man's warning gave Anakin pause. A short pause. Because if Vader appreciated the danger of Palpatine, then that meant both their former students were in a lot more danger than Anakin first realized. He didn't have a lot of time to talk Vader down.

Finally, Anakin nodded and said, "That's even more of a reason for you not to go. You can barely breathe, let alone fight. And your wife would probably kill me if I let you come, and you got yourself killed," Anakin added, and he sensed something that felt like wry amusement from Vader. Anakin continued solemly, "I can do this. Go with Padmé. Keep her safe for me."

The irony that he trusted the man who was partly responsible for the death of his own version of Padmé wasn't lost on Anakin. But Padmé and his older self had a weird companionship with each other that Anakin might have been jealous of if this whole thing wasn't already weird and if Vader wasn't an older version of himself who'd clearly made some peace—though certainly not total peace—with the fact that his own first wife was long dead. Maybe it was the same companionship he had easily fallen into with the alternate Ahsoka. She certainly wasn't his Snips, and many times that was painfully obvious, but the camaraderie was similar enough to form a new and different friendship.

Besides, if there was anything that Anakin knew Vader regretted of all the things he'd done, it was hurting his Padmé. That much was evident in the memories Vader showed them. There was no one Padmé would be safer with. Probably not even Anakin himself.

"Fine," Vader finally agreed. Then he added, "But if any fatal harm comes to Ahsoka, know that your life is forfeit to me."

"Wouldn't expect anything less," Anakin replied cheekily. Then he hugged Padmé and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before leaving her in Vader's care and running to find where his and Vader's wayward former students had gone.

* * *

"Padawan Tano," Palpatine said, appearing unfazed by both Ahsoka and her other self standing there. It's been too long.

"_Former_ padawan," Ahsoka said idly twirling one of her lightsabers and carefully paying attention to her other self so she could follow the woman's lead. "And you can cut the act, Darth Sidious."

"I see your future selves have filled you in on the events of the future. Good. Just as I had foreseen it," the man said.

"We're not here to talk, Sidious," her other self declared. "In the name of the Galactic Republic, you're both under arrest."

"You don't have the authority or jurisdiction to do that, my dear. Surely an empress as decorated as yourself, so I've heard, knows that," Palpatine pointed out.

"Yeah. We probably don't," Ahsoka looking resignedly to her other self. They both shrugged and turned back to the two Sith. "We really don't care."

Palpatine sneered as the cuffs on him fell to the floor, and his lightsaber came out his sleeve and into his waiting hand. "Foolish girl. You think you have the power to defeat me."

"Frankly," Ahsoka's older self began, "No. But we can hold you both off long enough."

"Kill the girl," Palpatine said to Dooku and then lunged at her other self.

As Dooku lunged at her, Ahsoka allowed herself a brief moment to worry if her other self was alright. She and her other self had discussed this. That in order to not allow Palpatine a chance to try to manipulate her, they wouldn't waste time on words or hearing anyone out. They didn't need any information and, hopefully, Padmé was able to get the information they needed to excuse them for going in with lightsabers already blazing. And if she hadn't… well, her older self assured they could figure that out in the aftermath. Ahsoka hoped it was without being put to trial. She could do without being the subject of another.

Ahsoka shook the thoughts out her head. That was something to worry about later. Right now, focus on Dooku trying to kill her. She and her older self had discussed this too. Trained by a master duelist and with skills and experience most padawans her age had envied before she left, Ahsoka was still seven months out of practice against a man that had trained for decades. But what she lacked in force mastery and dueling skill, she could make up for with her youth. Conserve her energy, her older self had advised. Defend herself and let the old count tire himself out, pay close attention for an opening out of carelessness or underestimating her. Until then, keep moving and ducking out the way. Hide if needed.

That was proving to be more difficult than her older self made it out to be. Confident as she was in her abilities and willing to jump into a fight even when the odds were against her, Ahsoka didn't kid herself into thinking she could beat Dooku in a fair fight. Not now. Not yet. She needed a way to throw Dooku off his game. And as she leaped backward out the office and further into the barely lit hall, she figured out exactly how.

"Palpatine's going to betray you," Ahsoka said as she defended herself against deadly strikes and then moved out of Dooku's range. "His future apprentice kills you."

"Don't speak on things you know nothing about, young one," Dooku replied.

"It's you that knows nothing. I bet Palpatine didn't even fill you in on who Darth Vader is. Who he plans to make his new younger apprentice," Ahsoka said, and then something occurred to her. "Or maybe you do know. And you're just in denial. There's been a lot of that going around."

"Just as manipulative and dishonest as your older self. It's a wonder my master never saw it. Such wasted potential."

"Is that what he said to keep you at his side?" Ahsoka asked as they came to the end of the hall and entered one adjacent to it. She ducked and spun around behind him for the first time going on the offense. Unsurprisingly, the tactic didn't work, and she was forced to jump back and further down the hall. "That I'm a liar. And that somehow he's much more benevolent than the Sidious my future self knew and managed to take down?"

When Dooku didn't answer, Ahsoka continued, "He's not. He's the exact same Sidious."

Not the exact same, technically, but based on the fact that Palpatine had sent Dooku after her to kill her either indicated that he didn't know that he'd had an encounter with an alternate timeline or at least hadn't told his apprentice. And maybe that wasn't true, but it was a gamble Ahsoka was willing to take.

"Well, since Sidious didn't tell you who he makes his new apprentice, then I'll fill you in," Ahsoka said sensing that she wouldn't be able to keep running and delaying and this fight much longer.

"It's irrelevant."

Ahsoka gave him the answer anyway. "Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader."

The revelation had its intended effect. Dooku's focus was hindered, and his control slipped, but that also meant he became more aggressive. But she knew aggression. Even holding back, that was what characterized Anakin's style, and it had been the same when they sparred together when he was training her. If not for that, she would have lost a long time ago. On the other hand, though, maybe taunting Dooku hadn't been such a good idea because it seemed that her taunting had only given him renewed strength, vigor, and speed that was exacerbated by the power of the dark side.

Crossing her blades to block a downward strike that would have killed her, Ahsoka gathered all her focus and used the Force to enhance her strength and hold Dooku back even as he used the intensity of the dark side to enhance his own strength.

"You know," Ahsoka managed to ground out. "Anakin's not going to like that you tried to kill me."

"Not try, young one. He's not going to like that I did. And I couldn't care less what your master won't like."

"You should. He's behind you," Ahsoka pointed out.

Dooku probably wouldn't have believed her if not for the Force power they both felt suddenly grab hold of Dooku. The power pressing against Ahsoka from the Sith's strike lessened, and Ahsoka growled as she mustered up as much strength as she could to push Dooku's strike away from her so she could get herself out the way.

"Get away from her," Anakin growled with his lightsaber lit in his right hand and his left hand outstretched.

Dooku managed to break out of the hold Anakin had over him. Not fazed by that, Anakin leaped towards Dooku.

While he was certainly faring a lot better with the man than she had been, Ahsoka couldn't help being concerned as her older self's words came back to her; how they might have only hastened Anakin's fall rather than prevented it. She'd seen him walk toward the dark side before, but now he was practically teetering over the edge of it. All his frustration over the last few days, anger at himself for his failures, fear of what might happen if he failed collected together into one massive inferno of barely restrained power that the dark side eagerly urged Anakin to latch onto. Somehow, Anakin was resisting. Somehow, the light was still keeping the darkness at bay but only barely.

Anakin finally got the upper hand in the battle, managing to cut Dooku's hands off and force the man to his knees while he held both his blue blade and the Sith's red one in a cross at the man's neck.

"I should kill you here and now," Anakin said to the man.

"Honestly," Ahsoka said as she made her way over. "I can't say I blame you. But that's not the Jedi way. He's defenseless. It would be little better than murder."

"I feel like I could make a good argument otherwise," Anakin said in a very begrudging tone as he turned off the lightsabers and put his hands at his side, "but you're right. He has to stand trial."

"Besides, he can't exactly get far right now. Just how much damage can he do with no hands?" Ahsoka asked.

"Quite a bit, you'll find, young one," Dooku declared as he used the Force to throw Ahsoka and Anakin back in a last desperate attempt to escape.

Anakin recovered first, with Ahsoka not too far behind him. She managed to speed up to get in front of Dooku and kicked him backward toward a waiting Anakin who, this time, decapitated the man.

After looking down at the body, Anakin looked up to give Ahsoka a wry look and said, "Famous last words, Snips."

"Just like old times, then," Ahsoka said with a shrug.

Anakin smiled at that even while rolling his eyes at the same time. Then he frowned and asked, "Hey. Where's-"

A surge in the dark side answered the question Anakin didn't get to ask, but that Ahsoka knew he was going to anyway. Without even exchanging a look for confirmation, they both made their way back down the hall and toward Palpatine's office to help her older self.

* * *

**AN: **I really did not intend for Anakin's and Ahsoka's relation to their alternate selves to mirror each other's in the way that it has ended up doing in this story, and I didn't realize it did until posting this chapter. Both start off misunderstanding their other self (Anakin and Vader doing so in a much more explosive way), then they manage to find common ground, and then they both have to find a way to convince their older selves that they can handle what's coming (with the latter two things happening in the same scene for Ahsoka). The unintentionality of it either means I've just gotten really good at crafting a story over the years and craft those parallels unconsciously now or it was the Force. I think it was the latter.

Anywho, almost at the end. And I still have quite a few surprises up my sleeve. Six chapters and the epilogue to go.

Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows. Keep them coming. They make me feel a lot better. These latter chapters went through extensive revisions because I was never quite satisfied with them.


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: **It's been a long weekend and it's going to be an even longer couple of weeks. I was supposed to update days ago, I know. But over the weekend, my grandmother had a stroke and that's just the beginning of her medical problems that the family is finding out about. And this was one of the chapters that I had to go back through and extensively edit and revise so I couldn't just quickly run it through a grammar check and post it. And I'm _still _not satisfied with it, but I probably won't be no matter how much I tinker. I know you guys understand, but I just wanted to let you know what was going on. Thank you for your patience. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**26**

Tasked with keeping her safe, Vader may have been, but he couldn't keep her safe if he could barely breathe. The rasp that had been coming from him earlier turning into a dangerous sounding wheezing that not even the periodic sounds of the ground shaking from the Jedi Temple being bombed from above could drown out.

Finally, Padmé said, "Come on. There's a small medical office nearby."

Him not arguing with her was likely a testament to how close to passing out he probably was if he was still anything like Anakin when it came to his own self-preservation. Hopefully, he wouldn't pass out before they got there. She could barely drag Anakin if she needed to, but she probably wouldn't be able to move Vader with twenty more years of muscle from battles and constant training and having broadened out with age.

He managed to get there, but collapsed halfway on one of the beds, leaning most of the weight of his entire upper body on it. There was a deactivated med-droid in the corner, and Padmé started to ask if they should activate it, but Vader shook his head in her direction.

"I just need that," he said, pointing to an oxygen machine in the corner.

Padmé nodded and wheeled the oxygen machine over. With startling familiarity, Vader turned on the machine and held the mask to his face with a shaky hand. If she thought it wouldn't take more energy than he had at the moment, she would have suggested that he have a seat in the chair in the corner.

After a few long, tense moments, he seemed to start feeling better. His face not as pale looking or sweaty. He wasn't leaning so heavily on the bed.

"I think this is far enough away from all the action that we can stay here for a while," Padmé said as she watched Vader wheel the tank over to the chair that she'd wanted him to sit in before.

As if the universe were trying to contradict her, the senate building shook from the attack nearby.

"No. We can't afford to. We have to do something with that," Vader said, pointing to where Padmé had put the datastick in the breast pocket of her outfit.

"I thought we already decided it would be presented before the Senate to start an investigation to—"

"Padmé," Vader said patiently and looking like he was trying not to roll his eyes. Padmé was familiar with that exasperation. It was an exasperation she frequently—too frequently upon all the reflection she and Anakin had done over their relationship the past few days—found herself having when she couldn't get Anakin to understand something or see a bigger picture. And it reminded her that she wasn't dealing with her younger husband, but with a man who, despite sharing a lot of the same similarities, was older than her and had twenty years more experience on her. "That would have been… not ideal, but not necessarily an awful solution back when we weren't sure if Sidious knew what we were up to and how much he knew about this whole time travel thing. But it's apparent he knows a lot more than we thought and has prepared and acted accordingly. If they're forced to kill Palpatine, the only good that data stick is going to be is possible evidence to defend your husband, Ahsoka, and the Jedi in a guaranteed trial where even with all the evidence in their favor, your Senate might still condemn them. And you _know_ it."

"The Senate wouldn't. The courts wouldn't let—"

"Padmé," Vader said again, calmly. And if she hadn't seen him act in the sometimes obstinate and cocky self-assured manner that she was familiar with, she would have wondered if the fact that her husband and Vader were alternate versions of each other would have been where the similarities ended. But no. This was maturity. More than that. This was a lifetime of sorrow and past mistakes speaking. Mistakes that, despite his grumbling and seeming indifference, he didn't seem to want this timeline to make. Otherwise, no amount of coaxing from the alternate Ahsoka would have persuaded him to help them.

"Padmé," Vader said again. "I know you know. And you want to know how?"

"How?" Padmé asked with a hand over the breast pocket with the datastick.

"Because you told me. Days before everything went to hell. You wondered if the Republic had become the very evil that we were fighting against. And I… I didn't think about it at the time. I was so conflicted and unsure back then. I accused you of sounding like a Separatist. But looking back…" Vader trailed off and then shook his head with a sigh. "I know you believe in democracy to do the right thing. And maybe after all this, you can make that work. But with all the senators that are in league with Palpatine or that have him in his pockets, you can't trust them to do the right thing with that information, even with your delegation fighting."

Padmé paused for a long time, not wanting to admit that Vader was right, but he had a point. And perhaps better than anyone, they all had a personal reason to doubt even presenting this evidence to the Senate would help. They didn't talk about it. They shrugged it off as just another thing done out of the fear from an awful war, but they only had to look at Ahsoka to have good reason. And yet here she was, both of them, facing the reality that they might have to face charges of sedition and treason again. All to help save the Republic that had cast them aside. Cast so many aside.

"What do you suggest?" Padmé asked quietly.

"A holonet dump," Vader said gravely.

"Are you insane?"

Vader shrugged. "We're already committing treason. Might as well take it as far as it will go."

"Maybe, but if we release this… _all_ of this," Padmé began, "We'll risk ending one war and possibly starting another one. Or maybe not even ending this war at all. There will be chaos. Releasing this information could destroy the Republic."

"That might be true," Vader agreed. "But there's already chaos. And the Republic is already on its last breath. But if you don't do this, you might very well be condemning the galaxy to what you're trying so hard to prevent. Sidious expects your faith in the Senate and democracy to make you hand this over to the Senate. The very thing you plan to use to condemn him, he'll find a way to twist to exonerate him, and the Senate may very well go along with it like they did when they voted and applauded the Empire into existence. But this? He won't expect this. And it takes away any control he could have over the situation."

Padmé groaned and said, "I hate that you're right. Is Anakin going to grow up and be able to talk sound political reason like this to get me to see his way?"

Vader chuckled lightly and said, "Maybe. Though it wasn't until Ahsoka sat me down with one of those war-like strategy games the twins liked to play as children and used it for a visual aid and comparison purposes that I started to grasp it a lot more than I used to."

Padmé grinned. "So you're saying I'll have better luck getting Ahsoka to grasp it, and then I can get her to put it in a way you understand. Like a translator."

"If you can get her to sit down long enough to learn it. She understands politics out of necessity. But even she frequently scandalizes the bureaucrats with her brashness and lack of political correctness."

"You enjoy it, though. Don't you?"

Vader smirked, "Every second of it."

Finally, Padmé took the datastick out her pocket and said dramatically, "I'll probably lose my seat in the Senate for this."

"Maybe."

"I'll be sitting in a prison cell with the hololeaks owner who released classified information on a public site."

"Not if this works, and you actually manage to save your Republic."

Padmé gave a now standing Vader a small, tired smile. She expected him to smirk at her, but instead, he was giving her a peculiar look as he set the mask down next to him.

"What?" Padmé asked. When Vader didn't answer, she asked, "Did I do something?"

"No, I…" Vader trailed off. "I'm just caught somewhere between wondering what would have happened if things had gone differently and my Padmé had lived and hating myself for it because at the same time I wouldn't have what I have with Ahsoka and at the same time hating myself for hating myself for it at all… If that made sense."

"Oh," Padmé replied for lack of a better answer.

Vader shrugged. "It's okay. Come on. Let's get to your office. I know exactly where on the holonet to dump that. It'll be breaking news along with the invasion in less than an hour."

* * *

"Took you kriffing long enough," the older Ahsoka snapped at the same time that Palpatine, Sidious, brandishing his red lightsaber, said, "Young Skywalker. You've finally arrived. Just as I'd foreseen it."

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard it before," the older Ahsoka spat from where she was lying near the entrance to the office and pressing her hand against her heavily bleeding right leg as she looked up in defiance at Sidious. She'd lost a lightsaber somewhere during the fight, and though she was on the ground, Anakin was sure she'd had a trick or so up her sleeve to escape Palpatine; hence her being so close to the best exit. Then she warned shakily, "Don't underestimate him. The old man is a lot more powerful than he looks."

"It doesn't have to end this way, Anakin," Palpatine assured.

"I think it's the only way to end it," Anakin replied, lighting his lightsaber and walking past where the alternate Ahsoka lay. Blood loss aside, she and her leg would be fine.

"Even after I allowed your future self to show you your full potential?" Palpatine asked.

"Allowed?" Anakin asked.

"You don't think I didn't have any clue what was going on, did you? That I didn't have any clue what had transpired and that you would have an encounter with the future versions of yourself and your former apprentice," Palpatine asked. "Your… inquisitor friends informed me months ago."

"Months," Anakin muttered and then remembered back when all this started, and he and Obi-wan were sent to investigate that new Separatists project and their first time traveling guest appeared and had offhandedly said while they were running that those were no scientists. He'd forgotten what she'd said that in the chaos of everything since, and had forgotten that throwaway mission. But now everything was coming together, he remembered. What she'd meant was those weren't normal scientists. And they hadn't been trying to build a weapon. They'd been trying to cut through time and space. It's why the Force had felt so warped and why that was the place Ahsoka's other self had fallen through.

Palpatine had known or, at least, had an idea what they'd been up to the whole time. And he'd passively let it happen.

Palpatine continued, "I'd hoped that through the interaction with your future self, you'd learn and come to accept what you're truly destined to become."

"The only thing he's destined to become is whatever he wants. And it's certainly not turning to the dark side to become your apprentice," Ahsoka said from beside Anakin.

"Are you sure? How about we let Anakin speak for himself?" Palpatine suggested, his gaze on Anakin intensifying.

Anakin felt both Ahsoka's eyes on him as he hesitated at the question. The only answer Palpatine should have gotten was his lightsaber, but Anakin was finding it very hard to resist the temptation of the dark side, despite knowing what it could do to him and the people he cared about. It called to him. Beckoned to him. And rather than serve totally as a cautionary tale of what would happen if he turned to the dark side, Anakin was beginning to wonder if his visions weren't just a cautionary tale of what _could _happen if he went too far off the deep end of it too soon. Because it seemed like no matter what he did, turning to the dark side was inevitable. And he couldn't deny the power he'd seen Vader exhibit hadn't tempted him. And that was with a crippling injury.

They'd only seen two futures. And in both of them, it seemed like falling was his destiny. But the fallout in one future, while awful, was significantly less awful than the other. Maybe there was one that wasn't bad at all. Maybe if he couldn't beat destiny by not falling to the dark side, he could…

"No," Ahsoka said firmly from next to him. "There's no version of you becoming his apprentice that doesn't end up with you destroying everything you love."

"My old friend, there's no need to fight. Just listen to my proposal," Palpatine began to plead.

Anakin sensed the spike of Ahsoka's irritation a fraction of a second before she snapped at Palpatine, "How about you just shut up already?" Then, she launched herself at the man.

Quicker than Anakin could have thought possible, Palpatine brought his red blade to lock against Ahsoka's two blades. Whatever hesitation Anakin had about attacking the man left as his instincts told him to protect his former apprentice. Because if her future self could barely hold her own against the Sith Master, then there was no way she could.

"Get out of here," Anakin snapped at her as his blade collided with Palpatine's.

As he ducked under the man's blade, and they both began to strike at each other—Palpatine obviously not to kill him, at least—Ahsoka stubbornly remained.

"No," she said, joining the fight.

"Ahsoka," Anakin growled, feeling like she was his padawan all over again. He'd forgotten how frustrating she could be when he was trying to keep her alive. "I can't focus on fighting him and protecting you at the same time."

"But if I leave, who's going to protect you from him?" Ahsoka argued back.

"I don't need anyone to."

"Yeah. Because you've done such a fine job of protecting yourself from him," Ahsoka said in a deliberate, sarcastic tone. Then she added, "In two timelines, might I add."

Anakin didn't have time to reply to that as he ducked under Palpatine's lightsaber, while Ahsoka flipped to be behind the man and brought one of her lightsabers towards the Sith's back. Palpatine deflected her blades, and Ahsoka pulled back, narrowly missing the strike of his red blade before Palpatine used the Force to throw her back into the wall.

"Now that the child is out the way, the adults can have a proper conversation," Palpatine said.

Anakin ignored the bait and continued his assault on Palpatine. Ahsoka's older self was right. For a man that had spent the better part of the war pretending to be an old, wise leader who was otherwise helpless in a fight, he was faster than he looked. He had them all fooled. And that, along with the resulting anger, was what Anakin focused on to give him strength.

"Good, good, my friend," Palpatine said. "Use your anger. It gives you power. Power I can help you learn to control. Destroying everything you hold dear isn't an inevitability, my boy. Those things only happened because I didn't get the chance to teach you the fine mastery and control of the dark side that would have allowed you to protect those you cared for rather than destroy them."

What gave Anakin pause wasn't that he was using his anger. That was nothing new. What did give him pause was the tempting offer to help him learn to control the darkness within him. Because sure. Today they'd beat the Sith Master, and balance would be restored… until the darkness found another reason to tempt him. And he'd be back to battling it yet again. A constant push and pull between the light and the dark with him in the middle until one day he lost control and still harmed the ones he loved in the process.

"So he says," Ahsoka managed, sounding a little out of it, from where she was getting up from where she'd been thrown. "But he's trying to trick you. He's no more benevolent here than he is in our other selves' future. He'll take it all back and make it look like it was all your fault. He betrays you. He already has."

And that snapped Anakin out his indecision as he clung onto that. Clung onto the initial hurt, anger, and betrayal he'd felt when Vader first showed him the man who would take everything from him. And had been in the process of doing so for a long time. From the moment he stepped onto Coruscant as a boy, the man with a flourish of his chancellor robes and a pat on his shoulder while saying that he expected good things from him, had been planning to use him for his own purposes. And the war, Anakin realized with sickening clarity, had been the Chancellor's way of preparing him to take up the mantle of Sith apprentice, training for him to become the would-be emperor's new fist in his military tyranny.

Knowing that the hopelessness, the failing to save everyone would only make the dark side more tempting to him than it already was. And that was without everyone he cared about being put in danger because of it. The assassination attempts on Padmé right at the beginning of the war. Then their separation right after getting married. The danger both he and Padmé were put in as a result that threatened to separate them permanently. The way the war had caused a greater division between him and Obi-wan that now that looking at what two futures had in store for him, he regretted. The way Ahsoka's entire padawanship had been consumed by war and then unfairly cut short because even the Jedi Order wasn't infallible to the Sith Master's manipulation, making them not to trust anyone, even their own.

"Anakin," he heard Ahsoka say. "You can resist him. He's a liar. And you know it."

"You know nothing of the true nature of the dark side, girl," Palpatine growled in her direction. And then said to Anakin, "I can teach you before it's too late."

"Ana—"

"No, Ahsoka. He's right. You don't know the true nature of the dark side," Anakin said evenly as he looked down at the floor. "You don't know what it's like that no matter what you do, no matter how much you push it away, it's always there. A constant companion that no one was ever able to teach you to control. And that because you were barely able to control it and no one could ever teach you how, they feared you for it."

"Padmé doesn't fear you for it. I don't fear you," Ahsoka replied immediately.

She was lying. And Anakin knew that because he'd sensed the terror directed towards him back on Lothal. But that wasn't the point right now. He turned back to Palpatine, who had his eyes closed and inhaled deeply like he'd enter a deep meditative state.

"Yes, young Skywalker. Use your anger. Use your hate. It gives you power."

In response, Anakin looked back up at Palpatine for a few moments. A few tense moments passed as he pushed back his indecision, and without thinking about it any longer, for fear that he'd change his mind, he suddenly lifted a hand and grabbed Palpatine in a Force choke before declaring, "But I sure as hell don't need your teachings to show me anything."

Palpatine managed to break free of Anakin's hold, but he did let himself be surprised by that. He raised his blade again and lunged at the man, letting the darkness that had been tempting him, eating away at him, that he no longer had the will to fight back against, take over.

It was liberating.

The dark side enhanced his naturally aggressive style as he viciously attacked his former friend, and the Sith Lord met him blow for blow with an insane smile on his face as they fought. All it did was enrage Anakin more as he thought of nothing else but wiping the smile from the conniving man's face. Anakin cried out in anger, something feral and untamed rising in him as he called on the Force aid him. It didn't hesitate to answer, and neither did he, throwing all caution, doubt, and fear to the wind as he ducked Palpatine's blade and then thrust out his hand to stay the man in place, a trick he'd learned from Vader on Lothal when the man had used the same hold on him. It was very different from a normal force hold. It wasn't just restricting the person's space outside of them, it was exerting his very will and Force power over the Force within his opponent, and unless the Force power of the opponent was greater, there was no way to escape from it.

Palpatine couldn't escape. Anakin was more powerful than him; if he hadn't been convinced not to follow the man before, he sure knew not to now. Why follow a man that was much weaker than him, who couldn't bring order to his own future Empire?

The Jedi would severely reprimand him for the trick if they ever saw him use it because it was undoubtedly a dark side technique. The destructive dark side equivalent of the light side healing techniques. It would be so easy right now to stop the man's heart, to crush his skull, to disembowel him.

Anakin would have to make sure to thank Vader for showing it to him later

To his frustration, all Palpatine did was laugh.

"What will you do now, Young Skywalker?"

Anakin didn't hesitate this time.

He cut the man's head clean off his shoulders.

* * *

**AN: **Guys, I don't purposely write cliffhangers. I end the chapter where it naturally cuts off and makes sense too. I've got a huge block of time tonight to get a lot of things done, so I'll probably edit three more chapters and post them all in the morning because I might not get a chance to post again until next week.

Anywho, hope you enjoyed, keep the reviews, favorites, and follows coming. I really appreciate it. And again, thank you for your patience.


	27. Chapter 27

**27**

An eerie silence fell over the office as Palpatine's head hit the floor. Despite that, there was no collective feeling of relief from either the Force or Ahsoka. Because the darkness that clouded everything was still present despite Palpatine's death. And a tentative reach into the Force to Anakin's presence told Ahsoka that the darkness was coming from him.

Somehow, even in death—or maybe especially because of it—the Sith Lord had succeeded in his goal because Anakin felt like Vader. Worse than Vader. Vader had a fine barely there control that, even while consumed by darkness, he wasn't drowning in it. But right now, Anakin's dark, cold presence felt wild and untamed like it was trying to cement its dominance.

_In our determination to make sure that he doesn't fall, I sense that we may have only hastened the arrival of the time that he will have to confront the darkness, and I'm not sure he's prepared to resist its call._

Her older self's words kept replaying in Ahsoka's head, along with the things she'd said just a few moments ago in an attempt to keep her master from being tempted by Palpatine's offer, Vader showing them how he'd fallen in his timeline, the vision at the Lothal temple… Somehow, instead of pulling Anakin away from the dark side, it pushed him right to it. And if none of that prevented anything, then Ahsoka had no clue what to do now that he'd gone over that edge.

But she'd made a promise. Not just to Padmé, but herself. She would pull him back. Somehow…

"Skyguy," she said tentatively as she moved to take a step toward him.

"Be careful," her other self muttered from where she was getting up and using the wall to help support her bad leg.

"Anakin. You did it. Palpatine's dead. It's over," Ahsoka said calmly.

"No," Anakin muttered as he looked up at her with wild, Sith yellow eyes. "It's not over yet."

"What do you mean it's not over?"

"Sidious may have been the mastermind, but it's corrupted leaders like those in the Senate that gave him that power," Anakin argued.

"So, what's your plan?" Ahsoka asked. "Kill all the senators singlehandedly?"

Consumed by the dark side as he may be, Ahsoka was sure even Anakin could see through that haze to understand how inefficient that was.

"Why do that when there's an entire fleet up there that will do the job? All I have to do is completely turn off the planetary shields."

"They'll raze the entire planet." Nevermind that they were _on_ said planet.

"That's the point. Let the Separatists burn it all to the ground. Destroy the Republic, themselves, and anyone else who wants to stand in the way. And then when everyone has lost all hope, all will to fight, they'll welcome us as their saviors. And we'll rebuild the galaxy the way we want it to be from the ground up."

"We?" Ahsoka asked carefully.

He grinned, but it gave Ahsoka no comfort. It was manic. Deranged.

"We always were better as a team. Look what we managed to accomplish in an alternate timeline having no clue what we were getting into. But knowing everything and with Padmé still here, we can totally remake the galaxy."

Ahsoka should have been mortified at this whole thing. That despite their best efforts, they'd somehow turned Anakin into the very Sith that they'd been trying to make sure he didn't become. But instead, she found herself more annoyed that their time traveling companions had only managed to give Anakin delusion of grandeur to take over the galaxy himself.

Perfect.

"No," Ahsoka said, instinctively getting into a stronger stance. "Not with you like this. The dark side has made you unreasonable. But you can come back. It's not too late."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then I'll make you."

"Or, I can make you get out of my way," Anakin said, tightening his grip on his still lit lightsaber and summoning Sidious' fallen lightsaber to his hand and igniting the red blade.

Ahsoka also felt that she should have been more apprehensive about Anakin threatening her with two lightsabers. But like the two versions of the future she'd been shown, Anakin had a way to make her part of the plan; was giving her a chance to talk; hadn't gone straight in with his lightsaber blazing while she was off guard. So Ahsoka guessed it was safe to bet that now, in this third version of events that they were about to play out, he also didn't want to kill her. Or maybe seeing two versions of this play out before had desensitized her to the idea…

"We'll just have to see about that. Won't we?" Ahsoka asked, igniting her blue blades. Then she turned her head slightly so that she could see her other self out the corner of her eye while still keeping an eye on Anakin.

In a low, forced calm, tone that probably still betrayed her anxiety, she said to the woman, "Ahsoka," and goodness was it weird to be calling someone else who was technically her by that name. Why couldn't she have taken on some other name like Vader had?

"Ahsoka," her other self stated back in the same tone but did a better job hiding her anxiety.

"Can you do me a favor and find your husband?"

"Why?"

"Because he's probably the only one who stands a chance of bringing Anakin down if I can't talk him out of this. Alternate self and all," Ahsoka pointed out.

"And what about you?"

Ahsoka heard the underlying concern. That she didn't stand a chance of beating Anakin. Not only did the head of the would-be-emperor lying on the ground prove that, but also two timelines: one in which even her fully knighted alternate self doubted her chances; and the other in which her non-Jedi self with at least a decade more of practice hadn't even been able to beat a severely crippled version of Anakin Skywalker. And here she was without the advantage of Anakin being crippled or having completed her training and with the added disadvantage of being about seven months out of practice. Yet, something in the Force told her this was a fight that had to be had. That in any timeline where Anakin Skywalker fell to the dark side, this was an unescapable encounter.

"I think it's time I stopped running away from my destiny," Ahsoka declared. Then she quickly added, "Hurry up and get Vader."

For a brief moment, Ahsoka thought the woman would interfere. But she felt a sense of understanding in the Force from the woman before faster and more nimble than Ahsoka thought would be possible for the woman given her injury, she launched herself off the wall and out the office.

Ahsoka paid little attention to which way the empress went, though, as Anakin lunged at her with both a blue and a red lightsaber and the full power of the dark side aiding him. She met his blade with two blue lightsabers of her own before they both pulled back, and she sidestepped his blue blade while blocking the red one.

"You don't have to do this, Ahsoka," Anakin said to her.

"Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing," Ahsoka replied. "Come on, Skyguy. Snap out of this. This isn't the real you. You're stronger than the dark side. You don't have to let it control you!"

"And how would you know that? You left. You haven't been here. If it hadn't been for a couple of time-traveling assassins hell-bent on revenge, you wouldn't have come back at all," Anakin growled at her.

"You told me you weren't upset about that. You said you understood," Ahsoka replied, as she jumped backwards to avoid a strike at her head and ignored the stinging in her chest that had nothing to do with the exertion of the duel.

"Oh, I understand perfectly," Anakin said, and Ahsoka ducked his red blade while parrying his blue one with both blades.

Then she made a strike at his right mechanical arm because it was quickly becoming apparent to her that not _wanting_ to kill her and not being _willing_ to kill her if he had to were two different things. And if she wanted to avoid a situation that ended up with him accidentally killing her in his drunken dark side rage, she'd have to accept the fact that that might not happen if she didn't at least find a way to disable him.

Anakin continued, "You're afraid of me. You're as afraid of my power as everyone else. And the first chance you got to get away from it, you took it."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Don't. Lie," Anakin said deliberately, and a shockwave from the Force with those words knocked Ahsoka back into the window.

"I'm not lying," she said as she rolled out the way and pushed herself off the window just before he shattered it with his lightsaber.

"You are. I sensed your fear on Lothal."

"That's not because I was afraid of you. I was afraid for you. I was afraid of something like this happening to you, but I'm not afraid of you. I've never been afraid of you."

"Sure," Anakin responded.

She wasn't getting through to him, Ahsoka realized as she blocked more strikes of his lightsabers. And she wouldn't be able to keep up this fight against him forever. What she needed was something that would be so jarring to him that it would pull him out from under the drowning influence of the dark side. In the vision Vader had shown them, it had been realizing he was scaring his children that he hadn't known were alive and his desire to protect them that made him restrain himself.

Ahsoka wished she could say the same about his desire to protect her, but… in some weird rationale that probably made a lot of sense to him while under the influence of the dark side, she wasn't really in danger from him. She was just in his way. He didn't want to kill her. Which meant she had to put herself in danger separate from the "not danger" he was putting her in.

But in order to figure that out, she needed to buy herself some time.

Ahsoka was starting to wonder if this kind of mental gymnastics dealing with Vader contributed more to the reason her older self had gotten so good in politics more than running a rebellion had.

"And this," Ahsoka finally bit out before she could think better of it, "is why I left. You say you trust me. But you really don't."

The reply she got was a red lightsaber that she had to jump over and a blue one that she had to defend against. Anakin had always been more comfortable using his lightsaber to avoid talking, especially when people hit a sore spot for him, but Ahsoka wasn't going to let him win that easily. If he got to throw around stinging accusations, so did she, especially if it kept his attention solely on her and not his surroundings.

"Oh sure, you trust me on the battlefield. But for someone who says they care so much and consider me a friend, you didn't trust me enough to tell me about your marriage. Even when it was obvious that I knew something was going on. I practically admitted it before leaving the Order. And then you didn't come after me," Ahsoka added.

"You told me you didn't want me to."

"I meant not as a Jedi," Ahsoka said through gritted teeth as she crisscrossed her blades to hold off his own. "I wanted you to come after me as a friend. Not to try to convince me to come back to the Order. All this time, you constantly made me believe that you cared more about people than you did the Order. More about what you taught me was right and wrong than what the Order said was. And then when it was time to prove it, you failed me."

The words gave Ahsoka pause as soon as they came out of her mouth. She hadn't even known she'd felt that way until she'd spoken them just then, but… the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was true. With startling clarity, she said in a whisper that barely broke over the hum of their clashed lightsabers, "You failed me."

Anakin took advantage of her distraction and used the Force to grab her and sling her across the room. She leapt to her feet and into the air, kicking Anakin in the chest and flipping behind him while managing to strike the hilt of the red blade in his hand. She landed on her feet and whirled around in a crouch, prepared for him to strike.

"Now, _Snips_. That's hardly fair," he said, turning to face her.

Ahsoka wasn't sure if he was talking about the fact that he was down to one lightsaber or her earlier accusation. She decided to take it as the latter.

"Maybe not. And maybe feeling that way makes me selfish, but at least it doesn't make me a coward like you," Ahsoka bit out.

The biting comment had its intended effect, and she felt Anakin rage at the accusation. What Ahsoka hadn't expected was the lightning that shot out at her from his left hand, and it was only instinct that allowed her to raise her lightsaber to deflect it. It also turned out to be the very opportunity she needed.

"And that's why you're angry at me. Because I had the guts to do something, even after having being raised my entire life in the Order, that you were too much of a coward to do despite how much you wanted to," Ahsoka said, once again surprising herself not just by how much she meant that, but by how angry she was at Anakin for it.

She didn't have long to dwell on it though because he reacted exactly like she knew he would as the strength of the lightning increased. And she couldn't help but smile a little in satisfaction. What she might have lacked in skill, she made up for in the fact that she knew Anakin. Not just his fighting style, but his patterns. And even in his nuance and resourcefulness, he was predictable as ever. And one of his predictable weaknesses was that the more determined and angry he got, the more tunnel-visioned he became and the less he paid attention to the rest of his surroundings.

By the time he figured out what she was doing when she managed to direct the lightning high at the ceiling, right into the magnificent lighting that no doubt connected to some delicate electrical wirings, it was too late for him to try to stop her.

"Ahsoka," was all he had time to growl as he tried to stop the lightning, but to no avail.

And despite herself, Ahsoka couldn't help but grin a little as the lights suddenly went out, a loud sound of electric wires violently short-circuiting sounded, and the ceiling collapsed right on top of them.

* * *

**AN: **As promised, another chapter... And not as promised, another cliffhanger. But because I'm not evil, I have the next one prepped, and there's no cliffhanger. This should tide you over until next week or so.

Anyway, bet you didn't expect that, huh? Even though there was absolutely a Chekov's gun allusion to it in one of the Lothal chapters. Not an early idea, but definitely one of the intermediate ideas I had when it came to this story. And I wasn't going to leave this story without Anakin really getting his feelings out and those two hashing out their misunderstandings. And this is only the beginning.

Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites. I appreciate it.


	28. Chapter 28

**28**

When Anakin coughed himself awake and out of unconsciousness as he used the Force to push heavy rubble off of him, he had to take a moment to figure out what the hell was going on. His memory was hazy, to say the least. Dooku. Killed him. Palpatine. Killed him too. Then another duel? With Ahsoka? How…?

He coughed again and felt like he was going to hack up a lung and used a gloved hand to wave the debris still in the air out his face before standing to his feet. He had to take a moment to steady himself and use the Force to ease a pounding headache. And with the pounding of his head not overtaking everything else, his memory became less hazy, and he began to fill in the gaps. When he killed Palpatine, he'd fallen to the darkside. And then Ahsoka dueled him to bring him back and then… he remembered Force lightning and the ceiling collapsing and… he didn't see Ahsoka anywhere.

"Ahsoka," he said and then coughed something out of his throat before saying louder. "Ahsoka."

A pained moan made him look into the far corner of the room. A pile of rubble shifted, and a montral poked out from beneath.

"Ahsoka," Anakin said, making his way across the room to help her. He found himself backing away, though when she suddenly leapt out the rubble and threw a punch his way. "Ahsoka," he yelped in surprise, but she didn't let up, summoning one of her lightsabers from whatever far corner they had been flung to. "Ahsoka. Stop. It's me."

She paused, blue eyes narrowed at him as she inspected him, physically first, and then probing him in the Force. He didn't shy away from the mental touch, allowing her to finish her inspection before saying, "Master?"

Then her eyes widened, and she dropped her lightsaber and breathed, "You came back."

Her eyes narrowed again as she punched him hard in the chest

"What—Snips? Really?"

"You attacked me with Force lightning! You tried to kill me!" Ahsoka exclaimed.

"I didn't try to kill you," Anakin blurted out reflexively before pausing as the memory from just a few moments ago came back to him. They were still pretty hazy. He really wasn't sure what had come over him. What he was trying to do. Just that… "I don't get the sense that I was trying to kill you anyway."

Ahsoka scoffed and plopped down on the rubble. As she lowered herself down to lay on it, never mind how uncomfortable Anakin was sure that was, she said, "It sure started to feel like it. For a minute, I thought what my other self warned me about would come true."

Deciding to take advantage of the moment that no one was trying to kill them, Anakin lay next to her.

"She warned you?" he asked.

"Yeah. She was pretty certain you still might fall to the dark side. I told her I could stop you, and she warned me you might kill me instead, if I… if I wasn't ready to deal with some things that I kept denying," Ahsoka muttered.

That's when the biting accusations she'd made toward him during his brief fall came back to him. And rather than get angry at it—because, Force, not only was he too tired for anger, but he'd just got back from a brush with the dark side and was all too aware of the darkness tantalizing him at the edge of his senses—he sighed and said, "Did you mean it? What you said?"

"Not how I said it, I don't think. I really was trying to distract you, but…" Ahsoka paused at that before finally saying, "The feelings behind it all? Yeah. I meant that."

"Well, you weren't exactly wrong."

Weeks ago, maybe even days ago, Anakin wouldn't have allowed himself to admit that. Wouldn't have allowed himself to admit even to himself how much it stung to hear confirmation from someone else what he already knew. He would have just gotten angry and denied it before deciding not to deal with it. But this was what Padmé was talking about. This was what in two alternate futures turned him into Darth Vader. It's what not too long ago had made him fall to the dark side and would have kept him there if not for Ahsoka's stubborn insistence.

Speaking of that.

"What were you thinking, causing the ceiling to collapse?"

"I was thinking that if there was some other external factor putting me in danger, your protectiveness would kick in and you'd stop trying to fight me to protect me from said external factor which would yank you away from the grip of the dark side. And, you know, explosions have always worked well for you in the past," Ahsoka quipped.

He got the feeling that the joking banter was the result of habit rather than actually trying to get him to laugh. Which was good because he wasn't in the mood to laugh.

"Force," Anakin muttered. "I'm so kriffed up."

"_We're_ so kriffed up," Ahsoka corrected.

Before Anakin could say anything to that, he sensed a warning in the Force and instinctively summoned his lightsaber from wherever he'd dropped it to his hand. But before he could light it, and impale one of the two Ghost that came at them from out of nowhere, both were stayed in the air by the cool dark presence that had entered the room.

"How does it feel to be the last one's standing?" Vader asked as he summoned the two dark figures to him.

"Vader," Ahsoka's alternate self said from where she was leaning against him as said man was helping her walk, "The fight's over. These two fall under my jurisdiction now. And I'm going to have an excellent time extracting every piece of intelligence I can out of them."

"For once," Vader said, "We're in utter agreement."

The two Ghosts suddenly fell unconscious to the ground after Vader asserted his will on them to do so through the Force.

"Anakin. Ahsoka," Padmé said, running past the two time travelers and throwing her arms around her husband and his former student after they got to their feet. "Are you both alright?"

Anakin and Ahsoka exchanged a look and then grinned.

"We're good," Anakin said. "I defeated Palpatine."

"And then we got into an… intense argument about what to do afterward," Ahsoka added.

"An intense argument?" Obi-wan asked sternly as he revealed his presence.

"You know. One involving lightsabers," Anakin clarified.

"We came to an agreement," Ahsoka assured.

"A tentative one," Anakin added. Because that had just been getting everything out there. It was going to take a while to unpack it all. To heal from it. To rebuild their relationship based on total truth and trust. But maybe that was the point. Tear it all down and start anew.

Padmé nor Obi-wan looked convinced still, but Vader said, "Don't be so alarmed, Padmé. Their one little 'intense disagreement' has nothing on the ones me and Ahsoka had while plotting against Palpatine. At least this duel didn't end in any broken bones or concussions."

Anakin wasn't sure if Vader really was trying to reassure them or if he was being funny in the dark way he was prone to. And neither, it seemed, did anyone except for the alternate Ahsoka who look unbothered by the whole thing.

"Is he serious?" Anakin decided to ask the older togruta.

"He's serious. Our relationship hasn't always been exactly healthy."

"Many would still argue that it's not," Vader pointed out.

"Those many are the remnants of the Jedi Order who don't think attachment is healthy for people like us. Whatever that even means," Ahsoka's older self said with a shrug.

"I think that's enough," Obi-wan cut in, sounding like he was all too grateful that the two time travelers and the version of them that they were of Anakin and Ahsoka weren't his headaches to deal with. "We should probably find a way to inform the Separatists that their important leaders are dead. And then figure out what we're going to tell the Senate about why Palpatine is dead and justify why Anakin found it necessary to kill him."

"Actually… that latter part is already handled," Padmé said.

"Handled?" Anakin asked. He knew for a fact that the Senate didn't work that fast. They likely wouldn't even have time to convene for at least another few days. Certainly not until they got word about Dooku, Palpatine, and Grievous (Anakin hoped, seeing as Obi-wan was here) being dead to the Separatist fleet, which would force whatever was left of them that the GAR hadn't already forced back or destroyed into retreat.

Vader smirked then and said, "I took a page out of Ahsoka's book and fed the rancor that is the press and holonet some fresh meat. The Senate, the Courts, and Republic authorities are going to be so tied up in public scandal they won't have time to even think about issuing a warrant for anyone's arrest."

And Vader was right. Over the next few days, after they'd managed to send the remaining Separatists forces into retreat once they found out that Dooku and Grievous were dead, the Senate had their hands full trying to quell the press and holonet and explain exactly how they'd handed over power to a man playing both sides of the war. Then Palpatine's entire cabinet had fallen under suspicion when it was uncovered that they were all conspiring with the former Chancellor. There was hardly a government functioning enough to elect a new interim Chancellor, let alone think about arresting someone for killing Palpatine without a fair trial. And that was _before_ a good portion of the Senate, the Courts, and local Coruscant authorities found themselves implicated in the conspiracy.

The Jedi Order didn't find itself exempt from the scandal, finding themselves having to explain how they hadn't managed to discover it in the first place, which begged the question of the media of who exactly discovered the plot, released it to the public, and managed to stop Palpatine from finishing carrying it out.

Somehow, Anakin's and Ahsoka's names got leaked into the media along with a video of their encounter with Palpatine that suspiciously cut off a few seconds after Anakin had decapitated him. The media took that news and ran with it, and overnight, the former Jedi knight and padawan pair were catapulted into unprecedented levels of both fame and infamy with many calling them heroes and others saying they had set a dangerous precedent. The result was the two being put on a glorified house arrest in the Temple (what was left of it anyway) for their own protection until the Council could figure out what the ramifications would be; not that either of them were abiding by it, especially since they knew multiple ways to sneak out the temple.

"We had to give them something. If we hadn't," Ahsoka's alternate self said as she watched holocaster pundits sit around a table in a newsroom discussing the last few day's events, "they would have found a way to get it back to Padmé, and of all of us, she's the most vulnerable right now. Besides, without me and Vader, you might not have uncovered it. And it was actually you and my younger self who ended up taking him on."

Anakin couldn't exactly disagree with the clever woman as they sat together in Padmé's living room and listened to the commentators debate back and forth about the situation and how the Senate should handle it.

"_So we're just going to sit here and ignore that two of the Jedi Order's own members essentially just committed treason?"_

"_To uncover and stop a High treasonous plot by the Republic's own leader to use the war to take absolute power. People like me have __**been**__ saying it, and it turned out to be true. We were on our way to an absolute and oppressive military dictatorship. And say whatever the heck you want about the Jedi Order and their ineffectiveness in this war. I've said it plenty of times. But Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano did us a favor in a war that the Senate kept pushing them to resolve. I think that cancels out the kriffing treason!"_

"_They assassinated a sitting Head of State."_

"_And what were they supposed to do? Arrest him? Looks like in the video that the dear Head of State was resisting it pretty vehemently!"_

"_They should have gone through proper channels to get an arrest warrant from the Senate."_

"_How?! You read the same correspondences and documents that I have. Half the kriffing Senate was sucking Palpatine's dick!"_

The alternate Ahsoka laughed at the young, plump, bald human male on the caster and said, "You can always count on Meek to say things exactly as he sees them. It's always fun to see his reaction to things like this no matter what timeline. Even in twenty more years."

"Why are you watching this?" Anakin asked.

"Getting a feel for the public attitude by following the discourse and reactions. They can't arrest you and my other self now, even if they wanted to. The public loves a good conspiracy, and you've not only uncovered it but essentially ended the war that resulted from it, as far as they're concerned. The public outcry if the Senate tried to move against you all would be outrageous, and whatever faith the people have left in their elected leaders would crumble as would what remains of this Republic," the togruta woman explained absently.

"Don't believe her. About simply getting a feel for the public," Vader said from where he sat across from Ahsoka's other self while she fiddled with his mechanical arm. "She gains great entertainment from the news and media and seeing what they say. She frequently feeds them information to 'placate' them. Or so she says. I don't follow how giving them something to talk about and then letting them talk about it placates anyone."

"Sometimes, the people just want to vent and hear other people vent. Despite everything we've done and are still doing to make things better in the Empire, people are still suffering in the galaxy. Better to let them vent about the problems and propose their solutions and get it out their systems than feeling like they're not being listened to or are being dismissed and starting another conflict."

Vader huffed. "You just say that because you love flirting with the press and posing for their frivolity."

"The people love their empress. And though you deny it, they've also started to love their emperor. That's something we should foster, and posing for a camera every now and then and letting them speculate about us does that better even than the favorable laws, programs, and agendas we put in place to make their lives easier, my heart," the alternate Ahsoka said as she put the tool in her hand down and stood. Then she turned to look at Anakin, "I'm sure the Jedi agree. No doubt you and my other self's revealed involvement is doing wonders for their reputation. It'll also give them some clout in the Senate."

That didn't mean Anakin had to like it. More public scrutiny meant more danger of his private life being exposed. Namely his still-secret marriage. But perhaps the woman had a point. Maybe now was the time to let that secret come out while the people loved him so much for "saving the galaxy."

"Where's my younger self?" the togruta woman suddenly asked.

"She said she needed to talk to Padmé about something and went to see her at the Senate," Anakin replied. He hadn't asked about what. "That was a couple of hours ago, though. She might have snuck back in the temple already."

"I think I'll go pay her a visit then," she said and left the apartment.

Anakin looked at Vader in askance, and Vader replied, "I imagine she's going to talk to her alternate self for the same reason you sought me out."

Anakin was starting to think that Vader was even more of an enigma than his former padawan's counterpart. While she hid her truths and fooled people behind cleverly worded sentences, tactful omissions, and an open, vibrant personality that allowed people to make certain assumptions, Vader hid his behind a bad temper, a generally aloof, unlikable demeanor, and an unwillingness to cooperate. But Vader was a lot more observant and thoughtful about things than he seemed to let on. And moments like these, where he seemed to know what Anakin was thinking and what people were up to and letting them think they tricked him into thinking otherwise told another story.

"I've found it very beneficial to allow people to underestimate me and assume that I'm only brawns and battle brains or the emotional hot head they remember the so-called 'Hero with no Fear' being during the Clone Wars. Force knows that ended up being Sidious' most fatal mistake when we stole his empire from right from underneath him. Even Ahsoka falls guilty to it sometimes," Vader said. And then added, "Yes. You were thinking that loud that time."

Anakin wouldn't be surprised if he were. "It's been a chaotic and confusing couple of days," he said to offer some excuse.

"How much do you remember? I mean really remember from your brief fall?" Vader asked as he began to work on his arm himself.

Anakin shrugged, relieved that Vader had saved him from having to directly ask the question he wanted to get to.

"It's hazy, but I can remember most of it if I concentrate. But I can't remember why. The rhyme and reason of it all. What I was thinking in that moment."

"A side effect of first immersing yourself in the dark side's power," Vader said. "Everyone has different reasons for latching on to it. But if that reason isn't strong enough to ground you, the dark side twists those desires until they become something unrecognizable to the point that you end up destroying the very thing that you turned to the dark side for. And even though you know it's destructive and that it may have been a terrible mistake, that guilt and despair make you go back for more because immersed in that darkness, it swallows all the pain and guilt and despair until you can barely feel it and the more of a monster you become."

"Even Sidious?" Anakin asked as he sat in the space Ahsoka had vacated.

"That man was always a sociopath who craved absolute power. The chaotic and twisting nature of the dark side was never contrary to his nature or desires, which made him the formidable Sith that he was. And why he flew under the radar for so long," Vader explained. "But in that sense, perhaps, the Jedi aren't all the way wrong when they say the person you were before seizes to exist. But for the same reason, it's why they're very wrong in their opinion that people can't be brought back from it. And they do their members a great disservice by indoctrinating them to think that. So no, Anakin Skywalker, your brief fall hasn't condemned you. You're still a champion of the light."

"How is that true for me and not for you, then?"

Vader paused twisting the tool that he was using to tweak his arm, for the first time glancing up at Anakin with surprised eyes before he quickly schooled his features and looked back at his work.

Finally, the older man said, "I spent years immersed in the dark side after thinking I killed Padmé when I was only trying to save her. Learning that I might not have been responsible for it helped her death hurt less. Learning that I hadn't killed the twins helped more. And Ahsoka's unfailing presence in my life was certainly a lot more influential later. But there are still many things that even trying to embrace the light would force me to confront and accept that I honestly have neither the desire nor the energy to deal with. I've made a conscious choice. I've chosen to continue down the dark path I started on even as I try to avoid the darkest paths it can branch into. It's far too late for me to turn from it. That's not the case for you, though."

His words echoed what Padmé and Ahsoka kept trying to convince him of. And they'd convinced him enough from doing something stupid back on Naboo—because what had he really been about to do with his lightsaber that Ahsoka found the need to take it and wouldn't give it back until after Obi-wan had arrived. But after pretty much falling to the dark side and coming back out of sheer luck rather than anything Ahsoka had specifically done, he found he wasn't as convinced anymore. Not even Obi-wan trying to convince him of more or less the same when they talked a couple of days ago helped. And there was a time if he knew Obi-wan wasn't condemning or judging him for something, that might have been enough.

"Everyone keeps telling me that, but I don't know how. I don't know how anything they suggest is going to help," Anakin admitted.

"I'll give you a word of advice. The same thing I tell my daughter when she gets too preoccupied with dreams and visions of the future. Live in the here and now."

"And that helps how?"

"I was so worried about the future, my destiny, Padmé's destiny, and what was going to happen that I forgot to live in the moment. It was my preoccupation with what might happen that brought the last things I wanted to happen into existence. Maybe if I'd been more focused on the present, I would have seen what Sidious was doing before it was too late. Paid attention to what I was doing in my present that would bring the very future I was trying to avoid into fruition," Vader said absently having stopped working on his arm completely now. "I've slowly learned to accept that, though. Let it go and move forward. The children help. One day you can carry them in your arms and then it seems the next they're grown up and don't need you anymore. If you're constantly worried about that eventuality, you can't enjoy them while you have them. Try to make the right choices for the present while considering the ripple effect to the immediate future second, and then the ripple effect to the long term future carefully but later."

"The here and now," Anakin said with a sigh. What did he want right here and right now?

Vader suddenly cursed in the native language of both their home planet. Anakin glanced down at the mechanical arm that he was struggling with, and unthinkingly took the tool from the man and grabbed the arm.

Ignoring the man's surprise, Anakin muttered, "This thing is well overdue for maintenance."

"Well," Vader said as Anakin sensed him get a handle on his emotions again, "I haven't exactly had time to in the last few weeks, all things considered."

Anakin hummed in answer as he began to rework the circuitry in the man's arm. He wished his life could be this simple right now. Taking out old wiring and replacing it with new. Redirecting old wiring to new paths to create new electrical currents. Then again, Vader made it seem like it was so simple. The here and now. What did Anakin want in this moment?

To be with Padmé and their children, was the first thing that came to his mind. But he was already doing that. There was nothing stopping him from doing that, especially now that the war was pretty much over. But that felt hollow. It wasn't just to be with Padmé and their children. It was to be with them and not have to worry about if the wrong person was watching and would report him to the Order. If their "forbidden" relationship would impact her career. And more than just Padmé and their children, he wanted to be free to openly love and care for the people in his life without someone telling him to be mindful of his feelings or wary of his attachment because they'd send him down a dark path when it was his very attachment to them that had brought him back from it in three scenarios. He didn't want to have to fight the Order, clout or no, to prove that. The Jedi and their—oh… Oh.

And it was then, with startling clarity, that Anakin came to a realization. "I don't want to be a Jedi."

Not that he couldn't be a Jedi. He didn't want to be a Jedi. Not anymore. Not if that meant giving up the one thing he wanted and needed the most.

"I was wondering if you were going to figure that out."

He wished he'd figured it out a couple of evenings ago when Padmé pressed the issue after the alternate Ahsoka mentioned that he might have the clout and public support to push the attachment rule. Padmé flat out told him that she didn't want him to stay with the Order, and they'd argued badly and loudly, not caring that their two time-traveling guests were just down the hall. But now, thinking about it while working on Vader's arm, he wondered why he'd fought so hard. Maybe because that's all he'd ever been. Maybe because that's what he'd been told he was meant to be and what he'd been sure he was meant to be since he was a little boy. Maybe because in the midst of all this change—him and Padmé reworking and redefining their relationship, the galaxy in upheaval over Palpatine's machinations—being a Jedi was the one stable (loosely speaking) thing he had left. And if he stripped that away, that begged the question: who was Anakin Skywalker?

What little anger he had in his heart toward Ahsoka for leaving all those months ago dissipated as suddenly he truly understood and sympathized with her reasoning.

"I don't know what I will be then," Anakin admitted.

"Well, without the Council ordering you around, you'll certainly have a lot of time to figure it out," Vader pointed out.

Anakin chuckled at that and then remembered something. "Speaking of the Council. They have to know you're a Sith by now."

"I imagine they do," Vader agreed. "There's no way they don't know. I exposed my true nature on the battlefield with a bunch of knights there to witness. Undoubtedly someone reported it. It's probably why the Council has dispatched one of their Jedi spies to watch me the last few days to make sure I don't intend to take advantage of the power gap left by the Sith here."

It would have been nice to know that so Anakin could have known to be a little more discreet in his coming and going from his wife's apartment. But if Vader didn't seem worried about it, then Anakin wouldn't worry about it either. Besides, from what he'd been able to gather from Obi-wan a couple of days ago, the Council was likely too bogged down in the scandal and calling back Jedi who were spread out all over the galaxy to have time to do anything about Vader as long as he wasn't a threat. An active threat anyway. The Sith were always a threat to the Jedi, in this timeline at least.

"You know, I think maybe you weren't the only one too harsh in their judgment," Anakin said, referring to his opinions about the man on Lothal. "For what it's worth coming from me, I don't think it's too late for you to turn back either."

Anakin decided to leave the topic alone after that and sat in silence while he continued to fix the man's arm.

* * *

**AN: **So...Anakin and Vader's interactions are now some of my favorite in this story because you would only expect for them to be extremely hostile to each other, except they don't really have to be if they can both chill out long enough to realize they can learn from each other. Also, writing Vader is a fun challenge, this version of him who has been forced to at the very least examine some of his demons because Ahsoka no doubt calls him out on it often being who she is. It also lets my flesh out exactly what canon Vader meant in return of the Jedi when he said, "It's too late for me," to Luke. He'd obviously thought about the demons that led him to that moment and led him to not be able to raise his son before. So canon Vader is a little more self-aware of himself, at least towards the end, than I think most people give him credit for.

Anyway, only three more chapters and an epilogue. Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I really appreciate it!


	29. Chapter 29

**29**

Ahsoka knocked on the wall of the open entry to Padmé's office, causing Padmé to look up at her.

"You busy?" Ahsoka asked.

"Swamped," Padmé said, "But you are an excellent reason to put it all aside. Thank you."

Ahsoka smiled and made her way fully into the office, closing the door behind her. After she'd pulled up a chair to Padmé's desk, Ahsoka stared at the woman, suddenly at a loss for words. When Ahsoka decided to come here, she thought she knew what she wanted to say to Padmé. But now that she was in front of the woman, she wasn't sure where to start.

Padmé seemed to sense that, though, because she said, "It seems like we've spent so much time together these last few weeks, but we haven't gotten time to sit down and talk. How have you been holding up? All things considered."

"I should be asking you that," Ahsoka said. "Have you seen a medic yet?"

Padmé let her continue to avoid and smiled as she said, "First thing I did before returning to deal with this mess. It's a wonder I didn't notice it before. I'm already four months along. Twins. A boy and a girl. And I'm perfectly healthy with full approval to continue working."

"That's good," Ahsoka said. "And how's it been hosting Vader and my other self."

"Interesting," Padmé gave. "I have a feeling that has something to do with what you're here for. So to figure out what to tell you about them, you're going to have to give me more than vague and open-ended questions."

In that moment, Ahsoka almost felt like she was talking to her other self. And it occurred to her that as instrumental in the woman's making as Vader had obviously been, so had the man's dead wife in less obvious ways.

Finally, Ahsoka sighed. "When I left the Order and Coruscant, I felt that I needed to figure some things out, what I was beyond just who the Jedi told me I should be. And while I hadn't figured it out, I thought I was on a good path to doing so. And then Vader showed up, and all this happened…"

Padmé laughed. "Seems like no matter what version of him, my husband is always destined to disrupt people's lives and shake up their plans."

"Right," Ahsoka said with a smile. "And I'm not upset about it. I'm glad he did. The alternative to it, what might have happened if I stayed there…"

"I know," Padmé agreed.

"But suddenly, even though I don't think they meant to, Vader and my other self showing up have opened up to me a world of possibilities and things I could do with my life and the person I can be, and now I feel like I'm back to square one. Walking away from the Jedi temple and Anakin and having no idea what to do with myself," Ahsoka admitted.

"Well, I could certainly give you a laundry list of suggestions, starting with coming to work for me," Padmé said with a smile. "Your alternate self has certainly learned her way around politics well enough being that she's an empress."

"Oh Force, no," Ahsoka said in mortification at the idea, even though she knew Padmé was probably joking. Maybe. "I don't know how she puts up with it. I can't imagine sitting in a room full of Senators arguing all day."

"I don't think your other self likes it either and only tolerates it. According to Vader, she spends a lot of time off-planet visiting different systems, getting to know her constituents, and assessing situations and brokering peace herself rather than waiting for people in the Senate to report to her. She's taken a much more hands-on approach to ruling and ensuring the rights of the galaxy than the traditional role of the Republic Chancellor usually does, though she still has to do a lot of delegating," Padmé said with a laugh.

"Still not appealing," Ahsoka said, shaking her head.

Padmé smiled and shook her head a little at Ahsoka's insistence before continuing, "That said, I wasn't just talking about working for me in the Senate. Force knows I'm always in need of a bodyguard, especially since we're not sure exactly how the rest of the war is going to play out."

Just because they'd killed the major players instigating the war didn't mean it was over quite yet. According to Vader and her alternate self, there were still the rest of the Separatists leaders to deal with. Hopefully, without Sidious to sabotage things, they could come to an agreement to end the war on peaceful terms. Then there was the matter of the clones and the chips with a kill trigger for the Jedi. Without a new Chancellor yet, the Jedi were tentatively safe from that disaster, but it was still something that had to be dealt with so that a new Chancellor didn't have the ability to take advantage of it. And that was only the beginning of a plethora of things that had to be dealt with.

Just thinking about all that gave Ahsoka a headache. Yep. Definitely not getting into politics. Not by her own choice anyway.

Padmé continued, "And if Ani stays with the Order, I'd feel better with you around looking out for the twins if neither of us could be there. As their aunt? Godmother, maybe?"

Ahsoka smiled at that. "I might be more inclined to take you up on that than going into politics." Then she realized what Padmé said. "If Anakin stays with the Order?"

Padmé paused, a thoughtful look coming over her face. "Anakin's probably going to come clean to the Order about our marriage and the babies. All things considered, including his celebrity status right now and popularity with the public, Ahsoka, the other one, thinks he might be able to leverage it as a way to push the attachment issue in the Order and exactly what that rule should mean."

Ahsoka knew without Padmé saying what the problem was. "But you don't care what they decide. You don't want him to stay with the Order."

"No. I don't," Padmé said firmly. "I have nothing against the Jedi. I don't agree with their ways or understand them sometimes, but they're well-meaning and have sacrificed a lot for this galaxy and the Republic. And when Ani and I first got married, it was with the understanding that neither of us would come between or before our duty. But I've grown into understanding what that duty means now. I work in the Senate because I feel it's the best way to fulfill my sense of duty to help and work in the service of others. And if I ever thought being in the Senate was contrary to that or I didn't feel like it was helping me fulfill that duty in the way I needed to for my own sense of self and happiness, I'd leave it. I don't think Ani feels the same way about the Jedi, though. I think he's miserable. I think he has been for a long time. And trying to conform to being someone he's fundamentally not has been just as detrimental to him as Palpatine's grooming was. It enabled Palpatine's grooming in some ways."

"Have you told him that?"

Padmé nodded tersely, and Ahsoka imagined that hadn't gone over easy with her master. Padmé confirmed as much with her next statement.

"It wasn't exactly… a pleasant conversation. But it needed to be had." Then she looked directly at Ahsoka and added, "With that said, I'm going to give you the same advice that I wanted to give him, but didn't get around to. Who is it that you think you want to be? What at the end of the day would make you the happiest? The things you'd do without anyone asking, even if it's challenging."

Ahsoka sighed. That made things both easier and much more complicated.

"I guess," Ahsoka replied, though she didn't get up to leave yet.

Padmé noticed and asked, "What else is on your mind?"

Ahsoka tapped her fingers on the edge of the chair and then said, "This is weird. And I don't want you to take this wrong but… Vader and my other self together don't make you uncomfortable?"

"Uncomfortable how, Ahsoka?" Padmé asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

Ahsoka groaned. This is what she both loved and hated about talking to Padmé. She always forced Ahsoka to put into words exactly what she felt even if the woman already had an idea exactly what she wanted to say. Obi-wan would have patiently saved her the trouble and interpreted it for her. And Anakin just would have figured it out through their Force bond.

"At first, I didn't get those two. Not even when Ahsoka tried to convince me that what she feels for her Anakin, Vader, isn't that much different from what I feel for mine. She said the essence was the same, just the expression different and the circumstances that evolved it. But I've been watching them since… And now I see what she meant."

Ahsoka had actually been watching the two more than she cared to admit, and more than she was sure the two time travelers were probably aware of or noticed. From when they were first bickering about their plan on the way to Lothal. Her other self's long-suffering but fond chiding of Vader and the way Vader smirked right back at her when she did. The way Vader glared at her for doing something he didn't like and the way her other self grinned back in response. The way they stood next to each other and observed situations, no doubt having a silent exchange between themselves. The way they just fell into sync even with no words or exchange in the Force. Their fierce protectiveness of each other.

It was her and Anakin. Just dialed all the way up to a hundred with twenty years of history between them.

Padmé still hadn't said anything as Ahsoka mused over her observations and so quickly added, "I mean. Don't get me wrong. I've never seen Anakin that way, and I still don't. I just… They make a lot more sense to me now that I realize my other self was right. And I just… I don't know," Ahsoka finally said with a frustrated groan.

Padmé finally just shook her head and said, "I've certainly noticed. And I have to say dealing with all four of you the last few weeks has been an exercise in great patience. You are the female version of my husband in a lot of ways, Ahsoka. And the same is true for your alternate selves even though maturity and ruling an empire have smoothed their edges," Padmé said with a longsuffering sigh. She continued, "But the older you get, Ahsoka, the more you learn that relationships are a lot more complicated than black and white. We form relationships with people based on what we need and want at particular times in our lives. And we adapt what we give to people based on both their needs and wants and ours. In another timeline, when I was gone, and everything you thought you could depend on was gone, another version of you and my husband adapted to fit what the other needed. But you and Anakin both want and have different needs from your counterparts when it comes to each other. So no. I'm not threatened by your presence or how much you mean to Anakin in our world. You're family. And I'm going to need you and your influence to help wrangle Anakin into dealing with his issues."

Part of the emotional weight and mental burden that Ahsoka had been carrying for the last few weeks lifted as she let herself be comforted by Padmé's words. No wonder Anakin had fallen for this woman in two timelines. And no wonder her alternate self seemed to pattern her demeanor as empress after the woman.

Ahsoka laughed then, and said, "That's going to take a lot of patience, arguing, and tough love. Hopefully, not another lightsaber duel, though."

"I wouldn't count it out just yet," Padmé said with a small smile and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Ahsoka decided to let Padmé get back to her work after that, and Padmé, reluctantly, agreed with her. Once she was back at what was left of the temple, she headed for the temporary quarters that the Order had assigned to her until the immediate aftermath of the attack on Coruscant blew over, only to run into her other self.

"Just who I was looking for," the older togruta said.

Ahsoka couldn't say the same. She'd actually gone through great lengths to avoid her other self and Vader these last few days since being around them only made her feel more confused and conflicted.

"Walk with me," the woman said in a tone that left no room for argument.

Since Ahsoka didn't have the energy to get into an argument that she was pretty sure she'd lose, Ahsoka fell into step with the woman. After a few steps, Ahsoka realized that she wasn't sure whether the Council was trying to keep a lid on the whole time travel thing amongst the Order. But no one seemed to be paying attention to them. She guessed that was a good thing about the Temple, sometimes. It was the presumption that if you were calmly walking through the halls, you were obviously supposed to be there.

"I didn't realize how much I missed this place until Anakin and Obi-wan brought me back here when we first arrived. Despite everything that ever happened here, it's home. I'm glad the Force gave me a way to see it the way it was before it all fell in my timeline," the older togruta said as they walked the halls together. "But it took many years of distance after its destruction and becoming more and more confident in who I was as Ahsoka Tano for me to be able to get to that point. To be able to appreciate the Order for what it was. Faults and all."

Ahsoka took her other self's olive branch for what it was and decided to meet the woman the rest of the way.

"They're going to offer me a place back. Aren't they?" Ahsoka asked.

"I don't doubt it."

"What would you have done? If you were in my place?"

"You already know. I stayed."

"But the Order hasn't started rebuilding again in your timeline, have they?"

"No."

"Is it because you won't let them?"

"The Order is technically classified as a religious entity which is a protected privilege in the Empire. They can do whatever they want in that regard."

"But you're not exactly pushing for it. Relationship with a current Sith Lord and all," Ahsoka said, looking at her other self wryly with a raised eye marking.

"No. At least not a restoration of the Old Order. Don't get me wrong. I think the galaxy needs Force users dedicated to the peace, freedom, and protection of the galaxy, but—"

"You just don't think they should be Jedi," Ahsoka cut in.

"No."

"Even though you are one. Or at least, Vader said you were."

"Vader says he's still a Sith when he's really just a dark side Force user. The Sith way is in as much conflict with him as the Jedi way is," her older self said with a shake of her head and a roll of her eyes. "Skywalkers aren't the same Force users that the Sith and the Jedi are used to dealing with."

"No. I imagine they aren't," Ahsoka replied. "But maybe that's just one obvious example of a bigger problem in the Order."

Because her master wasn't the only one with attachment issues in the Order, at least the way attachments were currently defined anyway. Anakin just didn't have the will to fight his desire for them. But this war had changed and put many things into perspective, and with everything she knew now and some distance from the Order, Ahsoka wondered just how many there were amongst the newer, younger Jedi like Anakin—like she had been—who were struggling with the Order and their idea of attachment after attachment had helped a lot of them through this dreadful war. How long would this Order last before someone else reached a breaking point like Anakin almost did and decided to tear it all down?

"The Order's dying. Isn't it?" Ahsoka finally asked.

"The Order as it currently is? Yes."

"It's been dying for a long time. Hasn't it?"

"The history records would say so."

"So would it even be worth it? To rejoin something that's dying out anyway? Or should I stay and try to save it?" Ahsoka wondered.

"If anyone could do it, I'm sure you could. I mean, I'm an empress, and that was far out the realm of what I ever thought I'd be able to accomplish."

Her other self's careful, cryptic answer was telling enough about what she really thought about that idea.

"Or," Ahsoka continued, "Do what you and Vader did with the Empire and the Republic. Strip away all the old and bad and build something new and better on the foundation."

"If anyone asks, I definitely didn't put that idea in your head. Especially if the Council asks. This was fun and all, but we've got to get the hell out of this place before the Council gets into their heads that I've got some vision of grandeur of ruling two timelines. One galaxy is enough of a headache," Ahsoka's other self said with a sigh.

Ahsoka smirked at her other self as she said, "You'll get no sympathy from me on that front. Dealing with politicians and their politics day in and day out? How do you do it?"

Her other self smirked right back at her with her arms crossed and the quirk of an eyebrow as she said, "Ahsoka, what I've learned over the years of my companionship with Anakin Skywalker, even in all the different ways that companionship has evolved, is that there's more politics to dealing with and understanding him than there is in the entirety of the Senate. And I'm sure, on a more limited level, you can agree."

Ahsoka chuckled and with a playful roll of her eyes and shrug of her shoulders said, "Yeah. I can. Fair point."

* * *

**AN**: I was not going through an entire story and Present Padmé and Ahsoka didn't get a scene together. Other than that, not much to say about this except that there are two chapters and an epilogue left.

Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed!


	30. Chapter 30

**30**

Ahsoka had known it would only be a matter of time before the Council requested to see them. Them being herself, her master, and their other selves. It was going to take a while before Vader and her other self would arrive with all the detours and rerouting that had become necessary in the traffic after the damage to the surface. So Ahsoka decided to use the time as an opportunity to talk to her master—Anakin. Ahsoka sighed. She wondered if she were ever going to get out the habit of calling him that.

Regardless, she wanted him to hear directly from her that her decision to leave the Order would still stand before she told it to the Council. He deserved that. He had deserved it the first time, but there just hadn't been any opportunity.

Ahsoka didn't regret the decision to leave the Order overall. But Anakin had deserved more than the mangled mess of a reason she put together in the heat of the moment, trying to make herself stay calm and trying to get as far away from the temple as possible before she changed her mind out of fear. The future her that would have been if the time travelers from the alternate future hadn't dropped into their lives thought so too, Ahsoka had sensed in the Lothal vision. A version of her that probably existed in another alternate timeline and hadn't been lucky enough to get this intervention.

Ultimately, it hadn't been her Lothal vision self's responsibility for that Anakin's choices, but Ahsoka had sensed the painful regret from that version of her. That she hadn't been there to at least try to make a difference, even if things had had all played out the same (And things wouldn't have. Ahsoka had collided with that future). The painful regret in the heart of that Ahsoka for leaving and not dragging her Anakin Skywalker away from the temple and down all those steps with her instead of secretly hoping that, eventually, he'd come after her. It had been a wonder it hadn't driven her to the dark side herself.

Ahsoka knew she might grow up and make a bunch of other mistakes and maybe end up with other regrets. But this was one she wasn't going to have.

Anakin was just coming out of his rooms when she arrived.

"Ahsoka," he said, looking at her in surprise. "I was just coming to find you. I wanted to talk."

"Yeah," Ahsoka said, avoiding her master's gaze and grabbing onto her left arm. "Me too."

He backed into his rooms again and then let her inside. They didn't go to sit, both standing uncertainly in front of each other.

"Anakin."

"Ahsoka."

"You first," they both said.

They met each other's gaze then, both vividly remembering their other selves doing the same thing. But instead of it making this more awkward than they were both already making it, they both laughed. If anything, this only proved that Vader and her other self at the heart of their relationship were the same former master and student duo turned best friends that they'd been in the beginning. Falling outs and evolutions of their relationships aside, an alternate timeline and circumstance didn't change that.

"Okay," Anakin said, still chuckling a little. "Seriously. You first."

Ahsoka nodded and said, "I think, and my other self thinks so too, that the Order is going to offer me a place back here again."

Anakin crossed his arms and shrugged, not seeming surprised by that as he said, "Yeah. Vader kind of speculated that to me. Apparently, this whole thing has ignited quite a bit of public pressure and scrutiny over your initial expulsion eight months ago in the first place now that you're suddenly their hero. Getting you back in the fold might help with the Order's PR problem."

"Well, they're going to have to find some other way to deal with it. I'm still not coming back," Ahsoka grumbled in annoyance that her staying or leaving could be used as political leverage. Then she paused, eyes widening at her admission as she searched both Anakin's face and their bond for a reaction. It wasn't supposed to come out that way. She had planned this speech to soften the eventual blow. But… well, so much for that.

But Anakin didn't react the way she thought he would. She hadn't expected anger, at least not until he figured out he wasn't going to convince her otherwise. He'd been much too subdued the last few days for that to be his initial reaction after everything that had happened. But what she hadn't expected was the calm acceptance of and lack of desperation at her words through their bond. Vastly different from the last time she said those words.

"Yeah. I figured that, which is why I wanted to talk to you before the Council meeting and before you left again," he said with a reassuring smile.

"Oh."

"I thought about what you said during our duel. About not trusting you and not coming after you and putting the Order first. About failing you and being jealous that you had the courage to do something I wanted to but was too much of a coward to do." Ahsoka opened her mouth to clarify all that because she hadn't even known she felt that way until she said the words, but Anakin raised a hand, signaling to her to let him finish. "And in some ways, you were right." He seemed to change his mind about that statement and sighed. "In _a lot_ of ways, you were right. Part of the reason I was upset with you was that you were selfish enough to put yourself first to do what you felt you needed without worrying about what the fallout would be. And I couldn't bring myself do that. I wanted to be that selfish but convinced myself that being a Jedi and ending this war was more important than that.

"And I'm sorry if I made you feel like I didn't trust you with me and Padmé's marriage. But it wasn't because of that. It was because that secret's been a heavyweight to carry, and who was I to ask you to help carry the burden when I was supposed to be the one looking out for you. Or put your future as a Jedi in jeopardy for it, not that it helped with that in the long run. And I'm sorry if it felt like I failed you. I didn't know you wanted me to come after you, but I was planning to, eventually. After the war and after I'd come clean about Padmé and been put out the Order more than likely. I wasn't trying to make you feel like I was putting the Order before you or betraying you. But for me, it was more like clearing away all the obstacles for you not to turn me away again."

Anakin looked at her with a tentative but open expression. Ahsoka, in return, watched him in stunned silence because whatever she'd been expecting her master to say to her, this wasn't it. And certainly not without a lot of arguing and going back and forth first. She'd been prepared to use every tactic she'd seen and picked up from her other self when she was dealing with Vader to get to any kind of understanding with him.

Finally, she narrowed her eyes in feigned suspicion and asked, "Who are you, and what have you done with my master?"

Anakin rolled his eyes at her dramatic antics and said while nudging her in the Force, "You know it's me, Snips."

"I guess," Ahsoka said, still looking at him suspiciously. "But what's gotten into you?"

"I talked to Vader. He helped."

"Vader?" Ahsoka asked skeptically. "You asked _Vader _for help?"

"Who better to talk to about the Sith and the Jedi than the guy who was both and was exactly where you were before?"

That actually made some sense. Still weird and disbelieving as hell, Ahsoka thought. But it made sense.

"Either way, I just wanted to let you know I was sorry. I understand you needing to figure things out. Force knows you're not the only one. And I get that you need the space to do that without me looming over you, but I just want you to know that you don't have to do it alone if you don't want to. You can always come back to me. Not as a Jedi or your master or as part of the Order or the Republic. You can come back to me as a friend, no matter what you do," Anakin offered.

The tension that had been in Ahsoka's shoulders in preparation for this talk released as Anakin's words alleviated any apprehension that she'd had. She'd been prepared to leave without his blessing or approval, just like when she left the first time. But it was a relief to have it now all the same. And before she could think about it, she launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He stood in stiff surprise at first before he returned her hug.

She leaned her head against his chest with her eyes closed for a moment before saying, "Thanks, Skyguy."

"Any time, Snips."

* * *

The alternate Ahsoka had given up any pretenses in trying to seem like she was a matured, humbled Jedi that would defer to the collective wisdom of the Council. Instead, Anakin noted, she came in like the proud empress Vader had made her into and started the Council meeting herself without waiting for anyone to address them.

"I sense that considering the fallout of Sidious' death and the deaths of the two leaders of the Separatists' army and Senate that you have apprehensions about me and my companion's presence in your timeline," she began, taking complete control of the situation. "However, I wish to allay those fears. The Force seems satisfied with the changes in the trajectory of this future that our presence has caused. We'll be leaving within two standard weeks."

Anakin glanced at Ahsoka, who shrugged in response. This was the first she'd heard of the two time travelers leaving too, it seemed.

"For informing us, we thank you," Yoda said. "See the merit of our concerns, however, you must see. End with your departure, they do not."

"If what you're concerned about is some kind of interdimensional time and space war, you can relax your worries. Anakin and I not only ended one war in our own timeline but helped take substantial steps to ending the one here. We have neither the intention, inclination, or desire to interfere with your galaxy's politics any further," the alternate Ahsoka pointed out.

"And I'll _personally_ make certain no one else from our timeline will either," Vader promised in reference to the two Ghosts that he'd placed in some kind of statis and that the Order was keeping in detention for them until they left.

"It's unfortunate that there's no way for us to confirm the validity of that assurance," Mace pointed out.

"True. So I guess that just means you'll have to trust us," Ahsoka's other self said with a shrug.

Anakin couldn't say he blamed the Council for their apprehension. He wasn't even entirely certain that if the two time travelers figured out exactly how they'd gotten here that they wouldn't at the very least keep an eye on them. From a strategic standpoint, Anakin would because if they could get through from one direction, it was certainly possible for someone else to go back the other way. And Vader was definitely a little more paranoid than he was.

"Are you always this impertinent before the High Council in your own timeline?" Master Gallia asked, and Anakin wasn't sure, but he'd say she sounded amused.

"Impertinence is a point of view. But yes," the alternate Ahsoka said with a mischievous sparkle in her blue eyes. No need to tell them there wasn't much of a High Council to speak of where they came from, Anakin supposed.

There was something in the air, though. A certain mischievous in the Force coming from… Master Yoda, Anakin sensed.

Said master huffed at Ahsoka's older self's words and looked the woman directly in the eye as he said, "Impertinence, they certainly find it, I'm sure; given present yourself as a Jedi, you do, yet a Sith Lord, your companion is."

Well, Anakin couldn't say he was surprised. Vader warned him that the Council had been notified, and there was no way they weren't going to bring it up while knowing. He sensed all his companions subtly shift their stances from relaxed to readying for the possibility of having to fight their way out the temple with lightsabers. Perfect.

Vader cocked a brow at that and with a smile said, "I was wondering if you were going to bring that up. Ahsoka and I discussed the possibility and wondered exactly what you planned to do about it."

"I'd advise answering very carefully," Ahsoka alternate self said, her mischievous tone belying her very apparent threat, and Anakin noticed she'd angled herself in front of Vader. "Because that _might_ change my mind about starting an interdimensional time and space incident."

"Depends, I think, on what your plans are," Yoda replied.

Ahsoka's other self began to respond, but Vader put a hand on her shoulder and said while still looking at Yoda, "Stand down, Ahsoka. This falls under my jurisdiction. Besides, if the High Council were going to do anything about it, they would have done it days ago."

Vader's words did nothing to alleviate the tension in the room, although Ahsoka's other self did step to the side to allow Vader to handle the situation.

"The way I see it, this can be a win-win situation for all of us," Vader stated. "I have no interest in starting another war in another timeline when I've got an empire to get back to. And you all have no interest in fighting another war when you're buried in scandal for events pertaining to one that's still not officially finished. It's in all our best interests to let me just go right on my way."

Anakin resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation and pinch the bridge of his nose. Vader just _had _to drop and imply that he ran an empire. Forget leaving the Order, they were going to put him out.

"And if we decide it's not in our best interests?" Mace asked.

"You shouldn't," Vader stated. "And you shouldn't hold it against my other self. The circumstances that lead to me choosing this path have passed in this timeline, but if the Order acts out of misguided and ill-advised fear, you'll bring on the very thing you wished to prevent and your own destruction with it."

"Is that a threat?" Master Mundi asked.

"A matter of fact," Vader said with a shrug.

Yep. Anakin was totally getting put out the Order, even if he'd wanted to stay.

Not bothered by Vader's words, though it was clear the other masters were, Yoda replied, "No offense against this Order, you have committed. In peace, you came and aided us in our time of need. In peace, this Order will allow you to go. Indeed, Anakin Skywalker, shown this old Jedi that only the beginning, we've come to know, about the nature of the Force. Much to learn, we have about it. Very much to learn."

Anakin wasn't sure, but it sounded like he was talking to both him and his older self. In fact, it sounded like a blessing. Or maybe not so much a blessing as Yoda was wise enough to let well enough alone at this point, especially since Vader had done nothing but help—even if somewhat reluctantly and out of boredom.

"Always full of surprises, Master Yoda," Ahsoka's other self said as she relaxed her stance. Then she quirked an eye marking his way and asked, "Just how much else have you put together about my universe?"

"That likely, it is, that rue the day, assigned you to Anakin Skywalker, my alternate self does," Yoda said impishly. "Futile, it would be, I suppose, to caution you to be mindful of your attachment, hm?"

"Younglings, a marriage, and twenty years too late," Ahsoka's older self admitted with a grin, much to Anakin's chagrin. He sensed that Ahsoka felt similarly.

They didn't make much of a big deal out of their alternate selves' relationship now. It was another time and another place. But that was not something either of them wanted to explain to the Council, and attachments were taboo enough as it was. But a romantic relationship between a master and a padawan, former or no… yeah. That was a headache Anakin wanted to deal with even less than having to fight against why they shouldn't bring him into custody for sins he hadn't committed even though another version of him had.

Further confounding everyone in the room except the two time travelers, Yoda chuckled and then turned his attention to Anakin, who was still reeling from what just happened.

"Something to share with this Council, you have. Hm, young Skywalker?"

"I'm leaving the Order. I'm married. To Senator Amidala," Anakin added quickly, considering the bombshell the alternate Ahsoka had just dropped. "We're expecting twins," he continued, and then he sighed. Why did he let this kind of stuff surprise him anymore? "But I get the feeling you figured that out already. Or at least suspected."

"Aware of the possibility, I was," the old master said with that impish smile. "A place here, should you choose, you always have."

It was good to hear that from Yoda, Anakin guessed. But he doubted the rest of the Order shared that overall sentiment except for Obi-wan now that they knew what his alternate self had become. Besides, more and more, he was certain that the Order wasn't his place. And the more certain of that he became, the less fearful he was about what that would mean for the future. Ahsoka left and was figuring it out. He could too.

"And you as well, young Tano," Yoda added, having not forgotten about Ahsoka. Then to all of them in a clear dismissal, he said, "May the Force be with you all."

"And with you all," Ahsoka's alternate self said on all their behalves before leading them out the room.

After they'd gotten a fair distance away from the chambers, Vader hummed and said, "There may be hope for this Order, yet."

"I expected that to be a lot harder. Somehow that felt… anti-climatic," Anakin said.

"They also didn't ask for our lightsabers back," Ahsoka pointed out. "Weren't they supposed to do that?"

"I wouldn't put too much questioning into a clear gift from the Force," Ahsoka's older self said.

"I'm pretty sure they just didn't want to test Vader's patience," Ahsoka said.

"Clearly," Anakin muttered. Because he'd expected a lot more going back and forth before they'd be able to leave. And he wasn't unaware enough not to know that they'd likely be keeping "contact" with him for a while because reassurances from a Sith were, understandably, not something the Order would readily rely on. Then he added, "Unless Yoda's finally gone insane."

Both Vader and Ahsoka's older self scoffed at the exact same time and responded together in the same wry tone, "That gremlin's always been insane."

Then Anakin remembered something Ahsoka's other self had revealed during the meeting and asked, "How are you two getting back to your timeline, by the way? Within two standard weeks, no less."

The two time travelers exchanged a fond look before the alternate Ahsoka looked at Anakin and Ahsoka and asked, "How would you guys like to meet our kids?"

* * *

**AN: **Two more chapters left after this. But don't worry. It shall not be the end. I'm making a little series, and I know for certain that two shorts are coming: one featuring the time travelers about a year after they took down the emperor and another where we see what was really behind the scenes of Yoda letting them all go because you know there was some drama behind that. And then there's the very long story of how everything in the alternate timeline played out. So... yeah. A lot of writing to do next year.

Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I really appreciate it.


	31. Chapter 31

**31**

The pick-up place for their two time travelers was going to be on Naboo at Varykino, according to Vader. Getting off Coruscant had been… tricky. Technically both Anakin and Ahsoka were people of interest in the fallout and weren't allowed to leave the planet, though, with more and more evidence piling against Palpatine, it was becoming less and less likely the Senate or Courts would come against them for anything. But getting off Coruscant had just been a minor hindrance compared to everything else they'd done in the last few weeks.

Padmé made a brief fuss about being asked to leave Coruscant in the middle of this upheaval _again,_ but upon learning that Vader and the alternate Ahsoka were giving her the chance to meet her future children before she gave birth to them, she'd had no more protests. Instead, she took work with her to do over the course of the hyperspace journey to the planet and the days they waited around on her retreat.

On the evening of the pickup, they waited in the grassy meadow near the spot Vader had apparently seen the twins arrive to get them in his vision. Anakin still wasn't exactly clear how the twins had figured out time travel, but Vader hadn't elaborated when he'd asked. And the alternate Ahsoka was just as clueless as anyone else was apparently.

Suddenly, in the Force, Anakin felt the same warping he'd felt before the alternate Ahsoka appeared. And a few moments later, there was a bright blue flash in the atmosphere. Shortly afterward, a ship came into view. One of the familiar sleek designs that were standard of Naboo ships, but appearing very modified, Anakin noticed as it got closer to them. It landed carefully in the meadow, barely disturbing the grass as it did so. Shortly afterward, the landing ramp released, and two figures ran down the ramp and across the field.

"Mom."

"Dad."

The two collided with Vader and the alternate Ahsoka.

"Take heart, my little ones," the alternate Ahsoka said to the two as she held them both. "Your father and I are fine."

The two pulled away, giving Anakin a good look at them: a petite young woman with her hair wrapped around her head in a braided crown, pretty brown eyes, and wearing a white jumpsuit that was the spitting image of Padmé; a young man with dark blond hair, blue eyes, and wearing a flight suit with a brown jacket over it that, for Anakin, was almost like looking himself in the mirror except that he was shorter than him but definitely taller than the young woman.

Luke and Leia. The two children that Vader had shown them in his vision but all grown up.

"Seriously, though?" Leia asked as she pulled back from her parents with her hands on her hips. "Jumping through a portal that you had no idea what was on the other side?"

"And you call us reckless," Luke agreed.

"Your mother is the one that jumped through the portal. She gave me no choice but to follow her. Thus, the fault for that lies squarely with her. She's been getting me into troublesome situations to save her since she was a teenager," Vader reminded.

"Okay. I'll take the blame for this one. But I've been saving you from the messes you've made from your own recklessness for just as long, my heart," the older togruta woman said, giving Vader a sideways look.

Luke and Leia exchanged a confused look before Luke said, "You're bantering with each other again. Does this mean you two are back on again?"

Vader and the alternate Ahsoka looked at each for a moment before the latter said, "I suppose so… although we're still talking about that initiative when we get back."

"I agree. I even have an idea that will make it easier and more efficient to enforce without disrupting the fragile control we have over the Outer Rim," Vader replied.

"Oh, thank the Force," Leia breathed in relief. "The two of you were starting to get out of hand. You're both _miserable_to deal with when you're not talking to each other. Both your staffs will be ecstatic to hear it."

"You two," the alternate Ahsoka said, "are one day going to learn not to mind me and your father's business with each other."

"We've had a front-row seat to it since we were younglings, Mama. It's really hard not to," Luke deadpanned.

Neither Vader nor the alternate Ahsoka responded to that. Instead, the alternate Ahsoka said, "There's someone your father and I would like for you to meet."

The twins perked up at that, and their parents moved out their view to let them see the group behind them. Their eyes scanned Anakin and Ahsoka in surprise first but then zeroed in on Padmé. Anakin sensed the two reach out in the Force to Padmé even though she couldn't sense or reach back to them, but the two apparently found what they were looking for because they both lit up.

"Luke," Leia said in a whisper that somehow carried across the meadow.

"It's her," Luke replied.

The two slowly made their way to stand before Padmé, doing nothing but staring at her in awe before they both tentatively wrapped their arms around her. Padmé unflinchingly returned the gesture.

"We've missed you, mother," Luke said.

"Very much," Leia added.

"I know," Padmé replied, and Anakin was sure that somehow she did. "I'm glad you had your mama to take care of you."

The two pulled away from Padmé though they each held one of her hands in their own.

"She told us about you. All the time," Leia said.

Luke smiled as he said, "Told us you were the most beautiful woman in the galaxy. Even more beautiful than her."

"Yes. She is quite beautiful."

Anakin turned away from the touching scene to find where the new voice came from and found himself looking at a young girl peeking from behind Vader that could only be described as a child human version of Ahsoka. She had bright blue eyes, skin that wasn't quite red-orange but had more light brown in it with red-orange undertones, and white hair with prominent blue streaks in a braid thrown over one shoulder and thin ringlets on either side of her head next to her ears.

The girl came all the way out from behind Vader, showing off her dark cargo pants, dark tunic and vest with combat boots, and made her way over to Padmé.

Standing right next to them, Anakin could make out faint barely-there markings on her cheeks, but only because he instinctively looked to see if she had them.

"So you're Padmé Amidala," she said quietly, shyly even, as she looked up at Padmé. "The pictures don't do you justice. You glow with the anointment of the Force."

"Mé," the alternate Ahsoka said in a lightly chiding tone. "What have I told you about introducing yourself to people who don't know who you are before you go telling them what they look like in the Force to you?"

"Daddy doesn't introduce himself to anyone," the girl replied, any trace of shyness gone.

"Your father has never been known for being polite."

The girl rolled her eyes and bowed ever so slightly at Padmé before saying, "Hello. I'm Mé Skywalker, crown princess and future Amidala, given by the power and trust invested and entrusted to me by the people of the Galactic Empire, and my desire is to serve and cater to the people's needs and best interests. I apologize for my impertinence and hasty assessment. I was simply excited to meet you."

Then Mé turned to look at the alternate Ahsoka and asked with a smug, mischievous spark in her eyes that was a perfect replication of Vaders, "Was that good, mother?"

"Spectacular," her mother said in an unimpressed tone before saying to Vader. "That's your child. There's no way I had anything to do with that. I was just a glorified incubator. She's all yours."

Padmé laughed and said, "That's fine… Future Amidala?"

Mé frowned in confusion for a moment before something dawned on her and she said, "Oh. I think you were told empress to get across the general function. But Amidala is so much greater and benevolent than that. I hope you don't mind. My parents wouldn't have named an office after you if that office didn't uphold the values you held so dear, even if the Empire doesn't quite implement them through the democratic Republic you championed."

"Hold on. She's the crown princess?" Ahsoka finally cut in, getting over her surprise. "You meant you were stepping down as the empress—Amidala—one day to let _her_ take over?"

The alternate Ahsoka smiled lightly as she said, "I said I was stepping down as soon as Vader's daughter was of the appropriate age to rule. I never said _which_ daughter."

"You never said he had more than one daughter," Ahsoka responded wryly.

"I never said Leia was his only daughter either, though."

"Wait. They thought _Leia_ was going to become Amidala one day?" Luke said with a laugh. "She has less patience for politics and the Senate than dad does. She'd be an awful Amidala."

"No arguments from me on that one. Besides, Mé was born literally in the middle of the last battle of the war. If that wasn't a sign from the Force of what she was meant to become, I don't know what would qualify as one," Leia said.

That was enough to catch Anakin's attention alone, but what really did it was the slow breath that Vader took at the reminder and the alternate Ahsoka's bashful expression.

"In the middle of the last battle?" he asked.

Luke and Leia grinned at each other before looking at him. Leia said, "Quite the entertaining story."

"Mom didn't tell anyone she was pregnant. And not only did she give birth on our ship in a hanger in a lower level of Coruscant, then called Imperial Center, while the battle was raging higher up, she also got right back up less than an hour later, put on her battle armor, and went to the Imperial Palace to take on Palpatine," Luke said with a laugh.

Leia, who was laughing with Luke now, added, "Dad was so furious about it we couldn't talk about it for _months _afterward."

"It wasn't as big of a deal as you all are making it out to be," the alternate Ahsoka said with a shrug. "It was fine."

"You and I clearly have _vastly_ different definitions of fine," Vader said exasperated. "You were seconds from dying."

Anakin then remembered a comment from Vader back when they were headed to Lothal when he'd said the alternate Ahsoka jumping through a portal topped everything except an incident when they took down the Emperor.

He looked at the man and asked, "So, this is the reckless stunt that tops everything?"

"Yes," Vader said tersely.

"Come on, Leia. Let's stop. They just made up. Let's not get them riled up again," Luke said. Then he looked directly at Anakin and Ahsoka. "Hopefully, you two's relationship is nowhere near as explosive as our parents."

"Not even close," Anakin assured.

"Good. I doubt one universe could have handled that much energy," Leia joked.

Finally, the twins let go of Padmé's hand and looked over to the two ghosts that were knocked out on the ground, not too far away.

"Come on, Luke. Let's take these two back to the ship. They can join what remains of their cult and help refresh their friends' suspiciously blank memories about what exactly they've been up to," Leia said sternly, reaching her hand out and lifting the two Ghosts with the Force.

"How did you all get here anyway?" Anakin asked.

Luke and Leia shrugged before answering, "We invented an interdimensional time and space travel hyperdrive."

"_We_," Mé cut in, "invented nothing. _I_ invented an interdimensional time and space travel hyperdrive."

"How?" Anakin asked. Force, if the Order ever found this out, he was screwed. He was lucky enough as it was that they'd let him go so easily, though he was certain they'd been checking on him.

"Force engineering," Mé replied. "It's an old Force technique that's been largely lost in history."

"And how did you figure that out?" Anakin continued.

"A lot of meditation using that Sith Holocron they used to get here in the first place," Mé said, pointing to the Ghosts.

"That's… impressive," Anakin finally settled on.

"Please don't encourage her," the alternate Ahsoka said.

"But it is impressive," not only did both Anakin and Mé say simultaneously but also Vader.

"Alright. Back to the ship with you," the alternate Ahsoka said to the girl. "That's enough stroking of your ego today."

As Luke, Leia, and Mé made their way back to their ship, Anakin looked at a chagrined looking alternate Ahsoka and pointed out unhelpfully, "Looks like you two have your hands full when you get back, huh?"

"I don't know what we're going to do with her," the alternate Ahsoka said, shaking her head.

"Maybe spending some time with Obi-wan, Yoda, and the remaining Jedi will… humble her some," Vader suggested, though he didn't seem nearly as concerned as his companion.

Ahsoka's other self looked at him in alarm and said, "Are you insane? That's a catastrophe for them waiting to happen."

"That's the point, my heart,"Vader replied. "Don't worry. She'll take the Empire to new heights of peace and prosperity."

Ahsoka's other self huffed and muttered, "If we can get her through her teenage years."

The two turned to face their counterparts.

"Any final parting words of wisdom?" Anakin joked.

"The future's going to be fine," Vader replied with a slight smile.

"That's not to say it won't be without its hardships. Just keep trying to do the right thing. Even if it's hard," the alternate Ahsoka advised. Then she added with a wink, "And don't turn to the dark side."

Vader then said, "And try to listen to Padmé. She usually gives good advice." Then he looked at Padmé and said, "Be patient with us, angel."

"It takes a while. But we get there," the alternate Ahsoka added.

Then the two time travelers turned to look at each other.

"Ready to get back to it, _my lord?_" the alternate Ahsoka asked.

"You bet, _Skywalker_," Vader said with a small smile, turning to start towards the ship. "I've even got an idea about our Force user problem."

The alternate Ahsoka latched both her arms around one of Vader's as they made their way to the ship, "Oh yeah?"

They disappeared up the ramp shortly afterward, and not long afterward, the ship disappeared into the atmosphere and then out of their universe with a bright blue flash. They stared at the slowly darkening sky for a long time afterward, and Anakin thought he might be able to stand right here in this moment forever, but he knew it wasn't meant to be.

He turned to Ahsoka and said, "I guess it's your turn to get going now, huh?"

Ahsoka smiled up at him and pulled on her arm in just the way he'd witnessed their daughter from another time and universe and said, "Yeah," while starting to walk backward into the ramp of the ship she'd gotten as a token of goodwill from the Order. Anakin didn't even ask how she managed to talk the Order into doing that. Probably with some help from Obi-wan.

"Know exactly what you're doing?" Anakin asked.

"Not exactly. But a good idea," Ahsoka answered being as vague about what she planned to do as she had been when he'd asked a few days ago. She'd only said it was an idea she'd gotten from her other self, and Anakin decided not to be upset that she didn't seem to want to tell him exactly what. He'd trust her.

"Be careful, Ahsoka. You'll come back when Luke and Leia are born, right?" Padmé asked as she hugged the girl.

"The entire army couldn't stop me," Ahsoka assured.

"Comm us. Every day," Anakin said, pointing a finger at her.

Ahsoka put her hands on her hips defiantly and raised an eye marking. "Once a month."

Before Anakin could argue, Padmé put a hand on his chest and looked at Ahsoka imploringly. "Once a week. If it's not too much."

"I'll try," Ahsoka agreed.

"And for Force's sake, don't make me have to tear the galaxy apart to come get you out of trouble. Still, call me if you do get into trouble, but try really hard to avoid it," Anakin pleaded.

"Sure thing, Skyguy."

The look on Ahsoka's face and a feeling in the Force told Anakin that his request was likely way too much to ask and promised he would be tearing the galaxy apart to save her sometime in the future. Hopefully, after the twins were born.

"Take care of him, Padmé," Ahsoka said as she backed up the ramp. "If for some reason, you can't get him to see reason and need me to duel him again, call me."

"She's never going to let me live that down," Anakin said ruefully as he and Padmé backed away from the ship, and Ahsoka lifted the boarding ramp. A few moments after, they heard the low thrum of the engines start, and the ship lifted off into the air and took off into the atmosphere.

* * *

**AN:** Told you I had a few more surprises up my sleeve. Ah, Mé. That's an interesting story, to say the least. Hilarious, if you ask Luke and Leia. No big deal, if you ask Ahsoka. And positively infuriating, if you ask Vader. And she's all Vader's cockiness and smugness and passion with all her mother's desire to do the right thing. As you can see, she's a handful much to her mother's dismay.

Anywho, hope you enjoyed. Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I really appreciate it!


	32. Chapter 32

**AN: **So before you all read this epilogue, I want to make a few thanks. First, thanks to the readers and everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed. Even if all you did was read, thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to get to the end. I read every single review and replied to the ones I could. Shout out to **Ann** who always gushes about how much she loves my stories and have been reading them since I started writing on this site. She comments as a guest reviewer, but I just want you to know that I read your reviews!

Second, thanks to this fandom. The Anisoka community (no matter how you ship it: OTP, BROTP, etc...) is a small one. And while this isn't my first rodeo writing Anisoka fiction and I was one of a much smaller community of writers back then, it's been a long time. Almost a decade. Before season 4... maybe even before the halfway point of season 3. Yeah... because I wrote and finished my dark Ahsoka fanfic before the Mortis arc. So definitely before the end of season 3.

Thus I not only went back and looked at some of the Clone Wars to get a feel for the characters but also went and read everything this site and ao3 had to offer in the way of Anisoka to see the different ways in which the community interpreted it. And I mean everything. The awesome and the not so awesome. Regardless, it all enlightened my own perspective on how both a friendship and a romantic relationship could develop in two alternate timelines. I thank all the ones who contributed to it, and who supported my own contribution. Okay, everything else can wait until afterward, but I wanted to get the thanks out the way. Enjoy!

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Mommy. Mommy. Mommy!"

Padmé looked up at and gazed across the room where Luke and Leia were sitting in front of the window, a bundle of excitement as they anxiously awaited their visitor. They'd probably sense her long before they ever saw her, but the two had insisted.

"Mom!" Leia said this time and turned to her with pretty brown eyes. "She's here."

That was all the warning Padmé got before the two jolted out the door, barefooted, to meet their guest. Padmé didn't even bother trying to catch up with them. There was no slowing the two down when they knew Ahsoka was coming to visit.

"Should we be jealous that Ahsoka gets much warmer of a welcoming when she comes home than we do if we have to be away?" Anakin joked, coming into the room as Padmé got to her feet.

Padmé laughed and kissed him lightly on the lips before grabbing his hand and leading them outside. By the time they got outside, Ahsoka was sitting in the grass not too far from the house with the twins sitting leaning against either side of her with a lek in hand as they looked up at her in clear adoration as she spoke to them quietly but excitedly. Mostly in basic but also with her native language, togruti, mixed in.

Upon either sensing or hearing (Padmé was never quite sure) Padmé and Anakin coming out to meet them, Ahsoka stood to her feet, lifting both children in either arm.

The young togruta woman had indeed hit her last growth spurt a couple of years ago, now standing near, if not at, Anakin's height. Still lithe and athletic as ever as demonstrated by her toned arms.

"I really do hope you're not telling them about another adventure that sparked yet another diplomatic incident," Padmé teased.

"An adventure, yes. Whether I sparked a diplomatic incident or not depends on how you look at it. The way I see it, I don't argue with slavers, no matter how they try to dress it up as punishment for criminals," Ahsoka replied.

"I'm with her on this one," Anakin agreed.

"And good thing you weren't actually with her on this one, or it would have been worse," Padmé said, though she didn't disagree with the two. She just didn't like dealing with the fallout of their adventures sometimes.

After Ahsoka and Anakin were cleared of any possible wrongdoing in Palpatine's death, Ahsoka got involved in transporting refugees and aiding those displaced by the Clone Wars, going places that escaped the notice of the Senate and that even the Jedi would not dare venture. More times than not, though, her adventures implicated powerful businessmen, bureaucrats, senators, and high ranking officials that were still finding ways to benefit from the fallout of the Clone Wars even four and a half years later. And just as many times, the young woman disregarded certain diplomatic customs in the pursuit of freeing the displaced from those who took advantage of them.

In the beginning, Padmé frequently found herself coaching Ahsoka through how to smooth over a diplomatic mess she'd gotten herself into. And more and more, Padmé was beginning to see how the woman's alternate self had managed to almost single-handedly raise a rebellion that turned an Empire against its emperor within a decade. But Ahsoka needed her counsel less and less as she gathered allies and gained finesse and subtly in her ventures.

The Senate had a love-hate relationship with her. Without the backing of the Order or any other policing authority, the girl was breaking every vigilante law on record, but she was fulfilling a need. She was doing a lot more help fixing the harm of the Clone Wars and Palpatine's plans—something Padmé had a feeling would take a lifetime to truly fix—than she was harm in her lack of diplomatic finesse.

Then, a couple of years ago—after Padmé and Anakin had rebuilt their marriage into something more stable and sustainable than what it had been during the Clone War, after a lot of self-reflection and mind healers and conversations and rebuilding other important relationships, and after figuring out that what he truly wanted to do was dedicate his life to the service of people who needed to be helped and that being a Jedi wasn't the only way to do that—Ahsoka had invited him to join her on her ventures.

And well… Padmé wasn't sure the galaxy had been prepared for that. And now she understood why Palpatine, in two timelines, hadn't stood a chance once those two set their minds to something. They were lucky the people of the Republic loved them so much.

Anakin didn't join her on every venture, though, what with fatherhood having tempered his need for adventure. This time was one of them.

"How's everything on Vjjil?" Anakin asked.

"Good. Rounded up three more Force-sensitives this time around. Ventress took them back for me so I could keep my promise to these two," Ahsoka said grinning at the twins who beamed up at her.

Anakin groaned at the mention of the former Sith assassin that Ahsoka had struck an unlikely accord with.

Not wanting to reignite _that_ disagreement, Padmé asked, "Oh? They agreed to be trained then? With your other students?"

"I don't like to call them my students," Ahsoka said. "I just think it's more dangerous to leave them to themselves without training because they weren't discovered by the Jedi in time and risk that any lurking danger could get to them first. It's just a home for Force-sensitive beings who don't have a way and think they'd like to help me."

"So you say," Padmé said with a raised eyebrow. "Yet, you funnel quite a few of the donations you get from some of your sponsors there."

"And I heard from Obi-wan that you were not so subtly asking him questions on how the Order funds itself outside of donations and Republic funding," Anakin said with a smirk.

"I'm just expanding my refugee and outreach operations. There's only so much I can do by myself, and they want to help. And not everyone there is Force-sensitive. Some of the clones are there too," Ahsoka argued.

"Sure," Anakin said as they made their way back to the house.

"You're talking about starting a diplomatic incident. Starting a new Order of Force users would be _the _diplomatic incident. The Order let us go on good terms, but if they caught whiff of that, I'm sure it would be ruined." Ahsoka said.

"And yet you're doing things that would likely ruffle the Order anyway. Sure, Snips," Anakin teased, throwing his free arms around her shoulders.

"Well, good thing you and Padmé are going to be there soon, so she can help out with that," Ahsoka replied casually.

"You are not throwing me in between you and the Jedi and the Senate," Padmé replied wryly.

"I won't have to throw you between them. You're going to do it all on your own. You certainly don't plan on living out your retirement from the Senate just being a housewife. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's certainly not in your nature," Ahsoka pointed out.

Padmé sighed. The woman was right. No, that wasn't in her nature. Already, only a few months after finishing her two allowed Senate terms per Naboo's term limit laws, Padmé was finding herself growing bored. Besides, what Ahsoka was already doing wasn't something that she wouldn't have gotten involved with in the first place. And though Ahsoka was certainly managing well enough on her own, she was much like the alternate version of herself they'd met years ago, who dabbled in politics and diplomacy because her function required it but didn't particularly enjoy it. Anakin was already similarly involved, and moving to Vjjil would allow him to be more involved while not missing out on the twins growing up. The twins would also enjoy seeing their aunt more. And moving there also meant that Obi-wan wouldn't have to make two separate trips to see Anakin and Ahsoka when he wasn't occupied with Jedi duties…

"Don't be so sure about that," Padmé said, deciding not to encourage Ahsoka's smugness, which on a few occasions could be as bad as Anakin's when he knew he was right. "I told you. We'll think about it."

"Give me another month, Snips," Anakin assured.

"Good. I need that much time to finish getting space for you ready," Ahsoka replied.

Padmé rolled her eyes at them both.

They had just gotten to the steps of the house when both Anakin and his former student stopped. Padmé turned to look at them in confusion, even more so when she noticed the look on both their faces. Something in the Force…

"Mommy," Luke said, leaning towards her from Ahsoka's arms. "It feels weird."

Padmé took her son from Ahsoka's arms, while Ahsoka sat Leia on the ground next to her and looked into the sky. Padmé followed her gaze just in time to see a bright blue flash and a sleek ship come into view. The last time Padmé had seen that ship, it was flying into a bright blue flash and back to an alternate timeline.

Not sure what they were about to encounter, Anakin and Ahsoka stood in front of Padmé and the twins hands on the hilts of lightsabers as the ship landed not too far from them. A lone figure departed the ship with a bag thrown over her shoulder as she made her way to them across the field.

Suddenly, both Anakin's and Ahsoka's stance relaxed, and Padmé wondered why until the figure, a girl, got close enough to them that Padmé could make out her features. That long white and blue hair, this time done up in two buns at the top of her head while the rest flowed loosely behind her; that red-orange tinted light brown skin; the lithe, athletic body; those red lips; those blue eyes. She was older than the first—and what Padmé had been sure would be the last—time Padmé had seen her, but she'd never forget the girl.

"Mé," all three of them said at once.

"Oh good," the girl said, dropping her back next to her. "You remember me. So I can skip the introduction."

Both Anakin and Ahsoka sputtered before Anakin managed, "What are you doing back here? In our timeline? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine except my attitude according to my parents. This was their idea. Obi-wan was even on my side trying to talk them out of this ridiculous idea," Mé grumbled.

"What idea?" Ahsoka asked.

"To come here. It's some lesson they're trying to teach me that's apparently not getting across in the Empire since I'm the Imperial darling of the people and they cater to my every whim. They figured I'd learn… I don't know. Something being here with you guys instead," Mé explained with a scowl and roll of her eyes identical to Vader's.

"Wait," Anakin said and somehow, without Padmé's notice, both her husband and Ahsoka were standing behind her now. "Your parents, Vader and the empress, sent you here?"

"The Amidala," Mé corrected. "And my dad goes by Anakin nowadays more times than not. Vader is mostly a ceremonial title associated with the office of the Emperor now. But yeah. They sent me."

Anakin and Ahsoka sputtered again before Anakin said, "Wait a minute. No!"

"You can't stay here? They can't want us to take care of you," Ahsoka added.

"I can take care of myself, which is why I don't like this any more than you two do. I don't know what younger, alternate versions of them are supposed to be able to teach me that they couldn't. But they insisted on this glorified grounding in preparation for me taking the Imperial throne when I come of ruling age. I couldn't talk them out of it." Mé then reached into the pocket of her cargo pants and tossed them a comm with an image receiver. "Here. That's an interdimensional time and space comm. You try talking to them. Frequency's already set."

While Anakin and Ahsoka frantically began the comm call, Padmé looked at Mé and asked, "How old are you now, dear?"

"Fifteen standard years," the teenager replied.

Ah. Padmé could just imagine why she was a handful for her parents. Padmé remembered the trouble Ahsoka had gotten into at that age. And according to Obi-wan, Anakin had been just as troublesome. More, in fact. The two were still trouble even as adults.

Finally, she asked the girl, "Was your journey long? Would you like something to eat?"

"Sure," Mé said slowly with her eyebrows raised, and her demeanor was so much like her mother's Padmé wanted to laugh. "This isn't weird for you? Considering I'm technically their daughter."

They both glanced over to where Anakin and Ahsoka were arguing with the small full-colored holograms of their counterparts through the comm. Anakin with a finger pointed sternly at the image of a calm, seemingly amused empress and an unimpressed looking emperor at her side while he spoke something in huttese. Next to him, Ahsoka stood with her arms crossed, a hip cocked, and lips pursed in displeasure.

"I've gotten used to weird when my husband is involved, Mé. Now, do you have a sweet tooth like your mother or like spicy foods like your dad?" Padmé asked.

"Both," Mé admitted with a smiled. "I guess while I'm here, I might as well take the opportunity to ask you about the Republic. There are remnants of it left in the Empire, but other than that, I don't know how it worked. I think understanding it, its flaws, and its benefits could help me better be able to spot flaws in our current Imperial structure and try to improve upon them when I'm Amidala."

A little ways away from them, Padmé heard Ahsoka say to her other self, "I don't know what makes you think if you can't handle your teenage daughter that we can. Besides, I'm already playing with fire and a huge diplomatic incident with my refugee activities and starting a new era of Force users. This is the exact type of thing that could lead to an interdimensional time and space incident that the Jedi were worried about."

"I'm failing to see how this could lead to such an incident," Anakin's other self said.

"Because if anything happens to her while she's here, you'll both find a way to bring the full might of your Empire to this timeline," Anakin exclaimed. "I _know _that. It's exactly what I'd do."

"I don't see the problem then. You're just not going to let anything happen to my daughter," Anakin's other self replied.

"Vader," Anakin growled. "You can't be serious."

"I'll be happy to discuss it with you," Padmé said gesturing for Mé to follow her into the house with Luke and Leia, who were curiously looking at the newcomer. "Looks like they're going to be a while."

* * *

**AN: **It's over guys. Sort of. I've got a lot more to write, and I'll take requests so leave them in the comments and if it sparks my interests, I'll write it. That said, here's a bit of trivia about this story and some of my thought processes when writing it.

1) In the initial conception of this (in my head), the alternate future Ahsoka wasn't supposed to be Empress, but the more I thought about it the more the idea made sense.

2) Also, in the original conception of this, the Ghosts were after Ahsoka not just because they were trying to get rid of her, but also they were also trying to get rid of Luke and Leia with the assumption that she was actually their birth mother and their human side was simply dominant. But I scrapped that, even though there are many people in the Empire who aren't convinced she's not their birth mother.

3) Originally, Ahsoka being Empress was supposed to be the last surprise of the story but I had no clue how or why that wouldn't eventually have to be revealed sooner, especially when Vader's identity was revealed. It would be the natural assumption and while the alternate Ahsoka "lies" by omission, she doesn't ever outright lie in the story. So to stay consistent, it ended up being revealed, and Mé ended up being the last reveal of the story.

4) Speaking of Mé, it's a little shocking to me how easy it was to disguise that Vader and the alternate Ahsoka had a third child, one that was biologically theirs. Everyone kept asking who was the Empress even though I thought it was obvious, but maybe people wondering about that made people not ask who was the heir, because even after Ahsoka's revealed as empress, she never says Leia is the heir. Note that neither time traveler says "the twins" when referring to their children. It's always the children or some variation of it thereof.

5) Ahsoka jokes that their other selves gave Anakin visions of grandeur during his brief fall to the dark side. But in reality, it's Ahsoka who gets them from her other self. Not necessarily "grandeur" but that she's more capable than she's allowed herself to believe she is. Hence the hints of trouble on the horizon due to her refugee involvement and the diplomatic incidents she's caused. Not to mention that a lot of her "help" are Force-sensitive beings that are too old for the Jedi but that she thinks deserve the opportunity to be taught anyway. But that's another story that I'm not sure I want to or will write. Use your imagination.

6) This ended up being two redemption and coming to balance with the Force stories. One of an Anakin Skywalker who's about teetering on the edge of falling to the dark side and another about an Anakin Skywalker who fell, did terrible things, and thinks it's too late to turn back and truly undo the damage, though the latter is more subtle. Mé's line that her dad goes by Anakin mostly and that "Vader" is more ceremonial hints to that.

7) I think it's obvious that Anakin and Ahsoka end up unconsciously being taken under the wing of their other selves, the same is true in reverse. Vader figures out that maybe he's been way too hard on and unforgiving of himself. The older Ahsoka truly comes to peace with and accepts the Order's sins while acknowledging the good they did, and so does Vader in his own way when he says there may be hope for the Order yet; which allows him to finally be able to say that he has an idea about what to do with their "Force user" problem and lets Ahsoka be open to it when she's avoided doing anything about it for a decade.

8) Mé is totally going to repeat history and then some by falling head over heels for a Jedi-even though she tolerates the Jedi about as much as her dad does-except it's worse because he's from a different timeline than her. Luckily, he's much going to be the more practical one about their relationship. He also happens to be five years older than her to which her mother jokes that there must be something about Skywalkers and five year age differences. Neither version of her parents is ecstatic about it when they find out and Padmé is stuck in the middle. I'll let you imagine the drama that ensues.

Alright. Anything else you can ask me in a review or PM. Until next time, LadyDae is out and will be studying for law school finals for the next month. Peace.


End file.
